Mahou Sensei Kain! Act 20!
by Chris-Sasami-Bunny
Summary: This is it folks! The wrap up! The final act of the series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Prologue

The crystal hangs in the air, like a sun watching over the land below it. It provides the light as well, not broiling and intense, but pure and bright, an alien but comforting presence.

This pseudo-world reflects the mind of the creature that created it—beautiful islands floating in a sky, covered with greenery, normal geography, and elements of a human city. Should any person acquainted with the world's goddess enter, they would recognize so much of the land of Mahora divided up amongst the floating islands.

And that 'goddess', rather, the Crystal Princess, sleeps within the crystal. The silhouette inside the stone is nude—she did not go into the crystal in this condition, but as this entire plane is mental, rather than physical, the lack is drawn from her mind. Perhaps it is simply the bizarre 'Japanese view of spirits' Kain alluded to so many months previously; perhaps it is a symbol and manifestation of the girl's mental state, how she has opened herself up and made herself vulnerable to everything by taking this duty upon her and entering the crystal.

And as time passes, it does not really matter to this free-floating world…even to the girl within, as she slumbers even while her power works its will upon the worlds, it does not even seem to matter….

But time does pass…and after so much has passed….

"Wake up."

There was a slight stirring from the girl within the crystal, but only slightly, barely noticeable.

"Wake up, Mai."

Mai was no longer strictly alone within this largely mental world. Finally, her eyes fluttered open and she glanced blearily down towards the sound of the voice, the speaker whose words easily penetrated the crystalline cocoon that contained her. A nearly identical face stared back—short red-orange hair, blank purple eyes, the only difference was its youth. The 'young' Mai was dressed as she always was in the dreams and visions—that elaborate black dress the Obsidian Star favored for her, that dress, for good or ill, that was so inspired from the royal gowns of the ancient Takiva Empire.

Mai's mind was numb as she stared at her youthful doppelgänger. "You're not awake yet," the youth insisted. "It's time."

"It's time…?" Mai murmured in reply. "I'm so very tired…."

"You've slept enough," the child replied. "You've done enough and more than enough. For now, leave the rest to me. It's time for you to wake up and fulfill your promise."

"My…promise…that's right…I did…promise…."

Mai slowly fell out of the crystal, sliding out of it as if it were liquid, rather than a solid structure. She collapsed almost immediately onto the nearest island, which consisted of little more than the immediate plaza surrounding the great Mahora World Tree. She knelt there for several seconds, breathing slowly and deeply. At last she glanced over as the infant floated down near her. "Leave the rest…to you?" she murmured.

"You have a life to go to. But this world can't be left alone…not now, and not ever. Now that this glorious new solar system has been made, these seven worlds all revolving around each other require a satellite to be their base, a 'sun' that keeps them following their neighboring but separate paths. Do you…understand the truth of the Soul Society's Soul King?"

Mai thought about it. It was difficult, through the haze of her sleepy thoughts, but slowly that molasses was draining away and it was becoming steadily easier. "No…I don't think I've ever heard anything about him before…."

"The so-called 'King' is not a ruler in the traditional sense," Chibi Mai explained. "When Arcanus Myrror was created, the presence of two worlds with such an influx of mana had ripples in the spiritual level of reality most mages couldn't even begin to fathom. The spirits of the dead began to be led astray and confused on their path to the afterlife, and then began to become hollows. One of the kin of Elodos, a Celestial, recognized this danger…and so he created the Soul Society, to create a dwelling place for lost spirits until they could return to the normal spirit flow. And this Celestial became the 'Soul King', transforming himself into the pillar that supported the bond and wall between mortal and spiritual planes. Even now he lives high above the Seireitei, guarded by the oldest and most knowledgeable Soul Reapers, and maintains the balance of existence simply by existing himself. And I shall likewise become such a pillar for the magic of these seven worlds."

"You…but not me?" Mai asked. "What do you mean?"

"You, or rather me, or rather both of us…created both of us. Technically, the 'me' you think I am, the original Crystal Princess, no longer exists. Nothing was lost, destroyed, or created when we were delivered to Mahora with our memories wiped. We were always Mai, even with a new name and a new life. But the memories couldn't go away for good…and in your heart, deep in your subconscious, in order to deal with the memories and feelings you couldn't handle, you created me, a representation of your 'previous self'. Of course, with the power you wield, that self-delusion became a type of reality…a reality that allowed you to use this power as you needed without succumbing to it. And now, since I do exist, I can separate myself from you…even if I am nothing but an artificial personality, your power is enough that you can leave me behind for this while leaving nothing else."

"I…see," Mai murmured. "Does that mean…I won't remember anything from my 'previous life' when I finally leave?"

"Yes. That is the one sacrifice you must make. But you will always be Tokiha Mai, and you will have all those memories—you will have your connections with your friends and classmates, with Kain, with all the rest. You can now finally begin your own life, just as they wanted you to. All you have to do…is go out to face them."

Mai nodded and slowly rose, her Mahora uniform returning to clothe her spiritual body even as she did, as she began to focus on the thought of being herself and who and where she was. "Right. I…will be going then. Thank you…for everything."

"There is nothing to thank me for…I am you. In the end, it was you who did everything. It is you…who has saved these worlds. Now, go on…and inherit the world you sacrificed yourself for."

Mai nodded again and turned away. She glanced up into the sky, and a perfect circle of a hole opened in the air, with an entirely separate space within—the true Mahora World Tree beyond it. Without another word, she leapt into the circle…and left behind the Throne of the Worlds' Core for the world itself.

F I N

 _Author's Note: No Wavering_

 _I thought about many things I could do for a Prologue; usually I hit side notes and characters that haven't been seen in a while, places far from the action, tying up loose ends…but this time I felt that, after the cliffhanger I ended Act 19 on, there was nowhere to go but to stick with Mai and see this through, at least until this 'matter' is resolved. There is a lot to tie up in this final, ending Act, lots of characters still to hit and futures to see and loose ends to secure, but first…first and foremost…there is Mai…._

 _And so the Prologue will go right into Chapter One. Away with it…!_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter One: The Future

There was a flash of light in the darkness, and then Mai appeared, falling immediately. She hit the plaza ground on one knee, sagged just a little, then took in a deep breath and opened her eyes to the world. She stood up and looked around. Despite her sleep, despite the weight of the years and the inertia she had to swim through to return to consciousness, it still didn't feel like any time at all had passed for her, and she half-expected to see Artoria, and Aiden, and Kain all waiting for her there. In fact, she was rather surprised that there was nothing to greet her at all.

It was dark, very dark…in fact, as the saying goes, it was the deepest darkness just before dawn. The lights that adorn any city at night and the stars overhead gave some illumination, just enough for her to look out over a city that was probably Mahora and marvel at it. So many buildings of strange shapes filled the dark horizon, and many dark shapes drifted through the sky as if this were Arcanus Myrror. There was even a particularly large floating mass—a floating island of some sort, most likely.

"Goodness, I guess that's proof that a hundred years have passed," Mai murmured, her astonishment so sharp she was prevented from fully expressing it. "Well…Kain's kept everything going well enough, it seems. So…where is he, anyway?"

She started to move out into the city just as it began to awaken and the sun began to dawn. As a few people started to get out and about and wander the streets, she saw that the dress had not changed quite so much over the past hundred years. There were little marks here and there of differences, perhaps most markedly in the streetlights, shining with a sharp magical light rather than any gas-based Earth tech light source. She was most stunned as an image just appeared in the air, a projected television screen, in other words, really, a hologram, without any visible source. It was a more-or-less normal-looking news broadcast, with a digital clock in the corner proclaiming that this was 7:00. "Good morning. This is your morning news for March 26th, 2135. The Three-Worlds Fair is only three days away, and naturally the piece that's creating the biggest news buzz is…."

The newswoman continued explaining something that completely escaped Mai's comprehension considering her current lack of knowledge, but it provided the information she immediately desired and needed. "Twenty-one thirty-five? Goodness…I guess I overslept a little. No wonder…a part of me really thought that Kain, at least, would be right there waiting for me, but I guess that even if we said 'a hundred years' we didn't have an exact time table. No, even if he calculated a best guess, I know I overshot that…he couldn't just sit around waiting for me the whole time. Kain…where is he, though? I need…to find him…."

She had confidence that Kain would eventually sense her emergence and find her, but she had no desire to sit around waiting for that to happen. She had returned, but now she was truly a stranger in a strange land—there was no telling if Kain was even on this world (what with six others out there, now), and who knew how long it would take to return? Even if she couldn't find him immediately, she had to find someone or something familiar, someone that could help her find a place to stay, get her bearings, get a message to him, something….

Alyssa's cottage was the first place she thought to try, but the first sight of it informed her that it was a dead end. The cottage was vine-infested and overgrown, and bore the obvious weight of all those years. "I guess I should have known," Mai muttered to herself. "As soon as she was finally freed, whether Kain or Kalan- _san_ did it, she would have bolted first thing. I doubt she ever would have wanted to come back here." She decided that the odds of something being left behind for her were also remote, and turned away to find another path, a new idea.

Something left behind! That did spark her memory to a recent revelation…well, recent by her reckoning, at least. She hurried back towards the field with the tree that housed the time capsule.

It took some doing…this area, too, was somewhat more developed now, but still, the largely open field had, luckily, been converted into a park. A quiet and rather little-used one, apparently, and even as Mai almost matter-of-factly used magic to produce a shovel for herself and took to digging at one tree in the middle of the park, no one tried to stop her or demanded her business.

She found it, just where she and Hinagiku had left it…but it had obviously been added to quite often since then. It was full of pictures—at first, so many pictures from the year they had spent with Kain, from sticker photos from Kyoto to pictures of their summer vacation to even some that they had taken while trapped on the other side, and so many more besides. Mai marveled and thrilled and wondered and remembered as she looked through them…and then she began to find the ones that followed. "Yue- _chan_ …so she really did become a Crown HiME, huh? Ah, those are her friends, Crown HiME alongside her…that man must be who she was contracted to…right…?

"Ah, Kagome…and she's still with Inuyasha? What's this, five years after I left? She's…an Archmage? Well…she worked hard to get recognized like that. Akari- _san_ , and Delryn- _san_ …whoa, what's Nanami doing on the cover of this magazine!? MagiTech mogul!? Guess her businesses panned out…oh, and here's a science magazine featuring Caria…jeez, did they just all want to show off? Oh, wow…is this really Honya!? She's become so beautiful! I wonder if Kain really let her get away. But here she is with Fairy Tail again…she must have found them. Ah, Kaoru! Wow, she really took the Olympic gold in 2016! I wonder if she used magic…haha, I probably shouldn't even joke like that….

"Kiami- _san_ and Hikaru- _san_ …are all these their kids!? You're kidding me! Riku- _san_ and Risa- _san_ …and who is this red-haired kid with them? Were they both dating the same boy or something? Wait, I think I've seen him around…. Ah, Yukari- _san_ and Kenjirô- _kun_ …we all saw that coming. Oga- _chan_ is still with her guy, too…nothing shook her up at all. Oh no, those three…they're in lots of pictures with that Sanzen'nin- _chan_. Who's this poor-looking boy with them in the butler suit? Ah, Hina's around in some of these, too, but…oh, wait! Hina and Kaji- _kun_ , magic officials, huh!? Well, I guess that's no surprise….

"That's what I was waiting for! Momo, and her _shinigami_ friends…jeez, 2055 and you don't look any different? You better be out there waiting for me somewhere, too! Wait, Ami accepting a Nobel Prize!? Man, I always knew it, but my class was full of amazing people, huh? Oh, Erika...posing so easily with Kaya- _san_ , and Rei, and your brother and…whoever this young man is? I guess you also got a happy ending out of this…did you stay a vampire, after all…? Kazumi- _san_ …she's also so beautiful, and that guy has to be a lucky stiff, whoever he is. Oh wow, Lina, still stuck with Gourry! And Kalan and Aeli…and three daughters? Did they have more kids? Kain's siblings? Good for them…and Kain's uncle Harald and…Mira! That means…Kagome was able to heal them, right?"

Mai smiled down at the collection of pictures, tears welling down her cheeks. "Well, thank goodness…it seems that most things worked out for most of them…they've got themselves some happy endings, right?"

There were still more, many more of those she'd named and more of others that she hadn't yet vocally acknowledged, and Kain himself featured quite commonly throughout their pictures as well…

And then she was brought up shorty by one picture of Kain…standing sandwiched between a grumpy, middle-aged Chisame and a figure that looked for all the world like Pakrov Eminus. As Mai stared at it, there was a subtle magical trigger she felt, and the picture began to move…and talk.

"We are now recording, Chiu- _sama_!" announced the voice of one of Chisame's mice.

"Thank you," Kain seemed to be acknowledging the rodent, and then continued, "Hey, Mai…I assume you'll probably be able to watch this at some point…it's kinda like a diary report or something for you if I'm not there immediately after you wake up. Hina's been insisting that I do something like this for a while.

"It's 2033 now. So much has already happened…even in the first ten years, we've had so many adventures and crazy things happening. It's kind of settled into a bit of quiet now, but we don't know how long that will last. Earth and Arcanus Myrror are now fully integrated, and magic is commonplace and greatly changing lifestyles. There are two other worlds we are also in contact with, Luirn and Gobolos. Our relations with Luirn have been largely amicable, but the mages of Gobolos seem to be a paranoid and power-hungry group, and we've had conflicts with them, which finally blossomed into the first real Trans-World War about ten years ago. That was a troublesome situation."

"What are you giving a history lesson for, really?" Chisame snapped. "She can read about most of this online by the time she gets up, and see the spoilers for what comes next!"

"Right, right…well…I guess there's just me, then, mostly. I took what you said to heart, but…in the end, I wasn't able to let my heart go. I…tried a relationship with Nodoka after you left, but…it didn't work out. In the end, I couldn't treat her as anything more than your substitute, and as much as she wanted to work it out…as much as we both did…we realized that it wasn't fair to either of us, and so we parted on friendly terms. I've maintained my friendships, with pretty much all of your classmates, but…I've never been able to get closer than that with anyone. I really…miss you, Mai…."

"Oh, c'mon, that again!?" Chisame seethed. "We just aren't good enough for you, huh!?"

"Chisame, we are recording," the Eminus clone advised the woman, and she fell to a grumbling silence.

Kain sighed deeply. "Well…after seeing what just a quarter-century has done, I can only imagine how the next seventy or so years will go…I don't know how far I'll make it…but I really do look forward…to seeing you again…."

It winked out, returning to the original picture. "Kain," she murmured. "Kain, I…I have to find him…."

She didn't inspect any more of the photos, but returned them all to the can and reburied them. Then, as it started to rain, she began to make her next move.

In the previous century, the advent of cell phones had begun to phase telephone booths into extinction, but apparently now the city provided free telephone booths with computers and internet access to many major sites and hub locations for the public's convenience. The booth also made a fine shelter from the rain as she searched for her information. An internet search of Kain Lockeheart gave biological information she was aware of, and continued, "Most famously responsible for the Magic Integration Project and being the founder and President of the Trans-World Relations unit, seeking diplomatic resolutions to the encounters that occurred between the seven worlds and the defense of Earth and Arcanus Myrror when those resolutions failed. After the Great Hallanae War of 2109 he disappeared, and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Unknown?" Mai murmured. "For an immortal man, does that mean he was killed in battle…or just too tired of it all after 100 years, and he went into hiding?"

No more detailed information was forthcoming in her searches, so she instead turned her attention to the phone book. A search for the Higurashi name yielded no fruit, nor did any for the Katsura name. She finally searched for Sendô, and was shocked—and afterward was shocked that she was shocked—that Sendô Kaya was displayed as the first name under that entry. Seven names underneath it proclaimed Sendôs who were extensions of the clan. That, too, was perplexing…in her several hundred years of life previous to Mai's life at Mahora, she had mothered only two children, and kept both of them secured and secret. Now there were seven…what were they? Children? Erika's descendants, maybe even Iori's? Erika herself was not in the list of names, however. That could mean any number of things…but….

But what it all meant, most of all, was that she could still probably count on some sympathy and support from the Sendô family, if nothing else. They were her best bet under her current circumstances. She knew where their grounds were, too.

She found that the Sendô family had now laid claim to a good portion of the city around Mahora, and Kaya's ancestral home (or whatever it was) was located in the center of it all. She ignored all the outer buildings and residences and made her way past the perplexed onlookers, heading straight for the main compound. She brought herself up short before she reached it, however, as the great wall looming up before her in the evening gloom seemed somehow intimidating, and it seemed to be stirring the doubts and fears she'd been seeking to quell since she awoke. Before she could steel up the nerve to head to the gate itself, a sudden voice touched her ears and pricked her consciousness, and high and happy, youthful laugh and chatter. She glanced over at the source. Two figures in _kimono_ were walking on the sidewalk towards the gate. The rear figure carried a large umbrella that covered both of them and obscured her face, although she was evidently female, but the lead figure, with her long blond hair and her shining blue eyes, looked for all the world like….

"Erika!? Erika!"

Mai pelted towards the two, who stopped and turned to regard her quizzically. The lead blonde began to panic as the young woman came moving in so quickly, but the words being shouted registered on her and she seemed to calm a bit as Mai suddenly slowed as she came near.

And then Mai realized that, although she was nearly an exact look-alike, this couldn't be Erika, because she was only thirteen or maybe fourteen. Before she could start to apologize for her error, the child said, "Erika? Do you…do you mean my great-great-great grandmother? Do you mistake me for her?"

Mai started. "Great-great-great…?"

"Allow me to present my mistress," murmured the rear figure in a voice that completely startled Mai anew. "This is one of the ladies of the Sendô family, great-great-great-great granddaughter of Kaya- _sama_ , Sendô Eiko." The figure raised her umbrella so her face could be more easily seen. Rei smiled at Mai, a far more practiced smile than she had remembered her capable of giving. "Good evening, Tokiha Mai. It is good to see you again."

"R-Rei…Rei!"

Mai hurried forward, and took Rei's free hand in both of hers. "You're here…you're not an immortal vampire's Servant for nothing, I guess!"

"Yes. It seems you have finally awoken. Welcome back."

"So this woman…is Tokiha Mai, then?" Eiko asked. "The one Great-great-great Grandmother was waiting for?" Rei nodded softly, and Eiko continued, "I see…then you must be looking to meet Kain Lockeheart, yes?"

Mai turned to Eiko in surprise. "Y-yes…do you know where he is!?"

Eiko exchanged a glance with Rei. "Well…I suppose we should?"

"Yes," Rei said softly. "We should. Let's take her."

8-8-8

Eiko spoke cheerfully about her great-great-great grandmother while they rode inside the car—the _HoverCar_ —on their way towards their intended destination. Despite Mai's pesterings, they refused to say anything more about Kain…but Mai was more than willing to listen to Eiko's stories.

"Grandmother spoke a lot about Great-great-great Grandmother," Eiko explained. "She was born a vampire, the daughter of Kaya- _sama_ , but that famous man, Kain Lockeheart, apparently he helped to convince Kaya- _sama_ to give up her old ways, and in her sixteenth year she was able to change herself into a normal human, rid herself of the vampire curse. Soon afterward, she met a young man who eventually became my great-great-great grandfather…. Great-great-great Grandmother lived to be 115 years old."

"One-hundred fifteen!?" Mai gasped. "That's…really, really old!"

"Yes. She remained vibrant and full of energy even to the last," Eiko agreed. "Grandmother said that perhaps it was because of the residual power of being a vampire, but maybe it was more…there was someone she wanted to see again, no matter what, a friend she was desperate to meet."

 _('…Yes…at 115, she would have died…around the time I was supposed to come out of the Crystal Throne originally….')_

"We're here," Rei intoned. The car stopped and lowered itself onto the ground, and Rei exited first, beckoning for the two others to follow her.

KAIN LOCKEHEART

NOVEMBER 20 1992

JUNE 12 2109

Here lies Kain Lockeheart.

A True Hero,

And Son of a Hero.

Mai stared at the inscription on the headstone. "N-no way…."

"He lived for over 100 years as the foremost champion of the Earth and Arcanus Myrror," Rei murmured. "He was at the forefront of every major war and conflict that threatened them…battling against demonic and mortal forces, and in the end, he gave his life to save all seven one last time."

Mai sunk to her knees in front of the tombstone. She finally removed her card from the pocket of her skirt; she had avoided doing it from the beginning, afraid of seeing just this answer. Indeed, it was changed—it was in a far simpler form now, without most of its information, the mark of a contract that had lost its master. Tears began to fall from Mai's eyes. "But…how come? You were supposed to have an invincible, immortal body…you were supposed to be able to live forever. So how come…you went and died before I woke up? How could you…have broken your promise…?"

"It's as Rei said, Mai…he did all he could for these worlds, all he thought was required of him. Maybe, in the end, it was just too much."

Mai froze, then turned her head at the sound. There stood two more figures, but Mai only focused on the infinitely recognizable woman in the lead. "Momo…" Mai whispered.

She certainly seemed older, more mature, yet still ageless and youthful, dressed down in a sleeved captain's _haori_ and her long hair turned up and pinned to the back of her head. She smiled at Mai. "Hello, Mai. It's good to see you again…it's been far, far too long."

Mai surged to her feet and rushed over to Momo, throwing herself into the other girl's arms and sobbing. Momo held her tenderly, carefully. "I'm sorry it wasn't quite like you imagined," Momo murmured. "But…at least you're finally back…."

"B-but…what's the point…? What's the point of waking up, of coming here, if he isn't here to greet me…? You and Rei are here…but who else could possibly be alive…? What am I supposed to do…with nothing but memories…?"

"You've been granted a rare opportunity," remarked the figure flanking Momo. "You have, as it were, come back from the dead. But if you've been granted that chance, shouldn't you at least try to make the most of it, and enjoy the world he protected for you? As long as you're alive, there's hope."

Mai tried to dry her tears and glanced quizzically at the figure, dressed in some sort of casual _kimono_ with a _katana_ at his waist, his brown hair and green eyes quite familiar. "Who…are you?" she demanded. "You…look like Eminus…and I saw you in that picture-message…."

"Ah, so you did find that," remarked the youthful man. "In life I was known as Eminus. I was reborn in the Soul Society, and since then I have been their ally…and I was Kain's as well for so many years. Now I am simply called Nemo. I tried to follow him into his martyrdom, but he wouldn't allow it…he was determined that he would be the lone sacrifice in the face of the horror of Hallan." He shook his head sadly. "In the end, he didn't have the strength to keep waiting for you. His aging years filled more and more with despair, and in the end he was very much as you are now. Tell me, are you going to be his Juliet and follow him into that darkness?"

Mai stared at Eminus, nay, Nemo, in confusion for several seconds. Finally she cast her gaze away. "I…don't know. You say that as long as I'm alive, there's hope…but hope for what? Kain's gone…was he, too, reborn in the Soul Society?" She looked hard at the two powerful spirits, and their returned gazes told her all she needed to know. "What am I supposed to do?" she demanded again.

Momo politely pushed Mai away so she could reach into her robe. "I don't know…but Kain did leave something with me…something for you." She handed over a letter, which, with trepidation, Mai opened and read.

Well, listened to. An image appeared as she unfolded the paper. Kain…and flanking him were two semi-familiar figures, Nemo again, and next to him an elf girl with long pink hair. Kain smiled sadly at her. "Hello, Mai…if this letter finds you, then you've finally woken up, and it also means that I was successful and saved these worlds…so, although you probably don't think so, it means things didn't turn out so bad. There's so much that's happened, though…so much heartache and pain.

"The wars have pretty much never stopped since I began my career at Mahora. Soon after you left, there was the Quincy War that nearly destroyed Soul Society…then there was the war Grimoire Heart waged to destroy magic and resurrect Zeref, and more troubles that followed on the Western Continent and Southwestern Continent. Of the first four worlds we encountered, we went to war with two of them, and we've had insurrections from countries on both sides…the Western European Alliance of 2017, the Halteese Regime of 2022, the Australian Warlords of 2035 and the Asian Conglomerate of 2051. I've done my hardest to protect these worlds…but it's just gotten harder and harder. Especially since I've had to do it without you.

"I've had good friends to support me, some of them still alive now, but one by one most of my friends have died off, and…it's just too much for me. I couldn't stop the melancholy…and that's what's finally doomed me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep my promise to you. I just wasn't strong enough.

"Now, after all this time, the last of the seven worlds, Hallan, has come into contact with us. They've been watching us for some time, but I…I foolishly missed them, wrapped up as I was in my sadness and longing for you. I didn't notice them until it was too late. Even now, they are bringing a terrible death plague, the weapon of a demon of nearly unfathomable power, to bear against us. They are foolish…their leaders and mages who supported it and reared it up will fall victim to it once it is finished with us, but of course they don't believe that. If I had noticed earlier, I probably could have dealt with it…but now it's almost too late. The worlds are already dying. I'm making plans, of course, but right now there's only one way I can stop them…I won't go into it in detail, because by now it won't matter; if you're hearing me, then it means I succeeded. But it means I had to give my life to do it, too.

"I always did wonder…but I just never saw it. No, it doesn't matter. Even now, I'm remembering so many things, and just wondering…how things could have been different. In the end, it's a happy ending for the worlds, from your point of view. But for you and me, not so much, then. In the end, I guess ours wasn't the right 'destiny'—we were star-crossed from the beginning.

"I love you, Mai, and I miss you, and I regret most of all not being able to see your face again…no, most of all, I regret having lied to you, having broken the promise we made. But still, you should try to live on…after all that we've given for this world, all of our friends and you and me, too, it's almost required that you take advantage of it. But…in the end, I don't have the right to say anything more. Goodbye."

The image faded away, and Mai's tears continued. "Idiot," she muttered. " _Baka_. In the end…those seven worlds were just too important, huh? Idiot…they weren't enough…."

"Of course. But you should know that by now, Tokiha Mai—he was a foolish mortal human to the very end, more concerned with the whole world than himself."

Mai turned as two more figures intruded on the conversation—one, a blue-haired woman, was obviously Miyu, but in front of her was a beautiful, buxom female with glorious long blonde hair and inhumanly bright blue eyes. Mai stared in disbelief. "You…are you…Alyssa…?"

"Ah, that's right…you only ever saw the little girl, didn't you?" Alyssa chuckled. "Yes, it's me…goodness, I didn't think I'd even bother to come see you again, but…it seems that interesting things just won't leave you alone."

"What are you talking about?" Mai demanded.

"I didn't come here for me, or really for your benefit…but I noticed one more person coming to bother you, and decided I just had to see how this was going to work out." The old Alyssa turned and stepped back, clearing the way for one more new figure to move forward and present herself.

And she was the most unchanged of any of them, looking exactly as she always had all those years in class, save for her Soul Reaper captain's attire. Sakura smiled at Mai. "Hello again, Mai. I'm not sure if it's been longer for me or you, considering…but even with all these familiar faces, it seems you can't see the one you want, right?"

Mai stared numbly at Sakura. "Yeah…and what…why did you come back here to our world…?"

"I have my own promise to fulfill. Kain…he wasn't really much of a hero in the end, was he? My father always said that a hero is someone who 'makes happy endings', but while Kain made plenty of happy endings for other people, in the end he failed to do anything for himself or the person he cared about most…they were denied their happy ending. So I just came to rewrite the ending, so it could be happy. I'm here as a genie, fulfilling one final wish."

"W-what…?"

8-8-8

It was quite a noisy and heart-twinging scene: that mob of girls all weeping and trying to stifle their tears, alternating them with cheers for Kain's parents, while Kain huddled in his parents' embrace, also casting his tears before the heavens. The gathered 'adults' stood most uncomfortably with their mixed emotions, overjoyed that their friends had finally returned to them and been reunited with their valiant son, but at the same time they also felt the sting of the loss of Mai and what that meant not only to them but to these crying youths as well.

But those responsible adults had the best view as the gate suddenly opened in mid-air, less than thirty seconds after Kalan and Aeli had appeared. It did not appear by the tree, nor was it of the same appearance as that through which Mai had disappeared; it was a Soul Reaper's portal by the looks of it, and it opened in the air directly behind the Lockeheart family. Mai appeared in the doorway first, confused and a little uneasy; then she was unceremoniously shoved out of the hole and, unprepared as she was, she toppled out of the doorframe and onto the hard floor of the plaza just behind Kain.

Kain's tears ceased, and slowly, unbelievingly, he turned around, his face radiating shock. Mai groaned as she got to a more stable position, on her knees, and rubbed at her head. Then she glared up at Sakura as the girl slowly descended. "What was that for? You didn't have to be so rough…."

Then she took in the scene around her, silent now, all sobs and cries ceased. Everyone was staring at her in amazement, and her own shock was no less than theirs as she realized where—and when—she was. "W-wait a minute…isn't this…just when I left…?"

"MAI!"

Kain was closest, and he was first, tearing himself even from his parents as he threw himself onto Mai, almost bowling her over—but Mai's response was just as fierce. "Kain…you're here, you're alive…you're not dead…!"

"MAI!"

The class was chattering and crying out loudly as it descended upon the returned girl, and Mai fought for a little bit of breathing room, alternating between laughing and crying herself. "I-I don't believe this…I was really brought back here…?"

Smiling and shaking their heads, the other onlookers began to stride forward. Aiden silenced the cacophony by addressing the girl who had moved off to the side. "So…I've heard plenty about you but never met you before. You must be the infamous Sanada Sakura, right?"

All eyes turned to Sakura as her presence among them was recognized. She smiled and bowed to the assembled group. "Sakura Johnson, rather, but yes—former member of Mahora's Class 3-A (Girls' Middle School). I've brought you something you lost."

"Brought us something…" Kain murmured. "So, that's it, then? Your so-called 'third wish'? You knew, all this time?"

"Of course I did," Sakura replied, flashing a 'V' sign with her fingers. "I told you about all of that before, right? I'm a creature far outside of this Reality Sphere. I studied it intently, in various permutations, before I joined myself to the class. And even after the Festival, I couldn't just stop interfering…there were a few things left to do. And now they're done."

"But…what did you do?" Hinagiku wondered. "Mai…she has to be inside the Crystal Throne to establish the balance between the worlds, right? So, if she's here…."

"Mai did her job," Sakura assured her. "As much as it would have made things easier, I couldn't do that for her. But the world where she woke up wasn't to her liking…most of her friends and those important to her were dead, after all. So I brought her back to the place where she belongs…to her home." She turned her smile on Mai. "Is this more to your liking, Mai?"

"Y-yes…yes, of course it is!" Mai insisted, finally standing up. "But…is this right…?"

"I hate to burst a happy bubble, but that is a good question," Kurt put in. "If you brought her back from that time period, then Mai- _kun_ is both inside the Crystal Throne at this moment _and_ right here in front of us. For now, it seems fine…but what will happen when she wakes up in a hundred years?"

"Who cares?" Kain put in. "That's a hundred years down the line. Maybe, this time, she'll never wake up…maybe she'll wake up and we'll have two Mais wandering around…or maybe Sakura will still arrange for her to be sent back in time. It's time travel, so it's a headache no matter how you try to reason it out. But it's all right. Right now, we've got her back." Kain swept Mai in and reached back out to bring his parents back into a group hug. "I've got them _all_ back. You're right, Sakura…at this moment, there's nothing else I could have wished for. There's nothing else I could possibly want; everything I ever wanted, I now have, right here in my hands."

"Well, that may be so," Mai interjected. "And I guess…Sakura- _chan_ fulfilled my wish, too. But there's definitely more that I want…not that I'm going to ask it of Sakura. But…there's things that have to be done."

"What, right now?" Aeli demanded with a smile.

"No…not right now," Mai agreed with a sigh. "Right now, this is enough…but going forward…there's plenty we'll have to take care of." She recalled the troubles that Kain mentioned, and how much horror they had caused…eventually even leading to his death. _('Now that I'm here, that won't happen,')_ she thought. _('I'm going to make sure of it…this really will be a bigger 'happy ending' than before….')_

"Well, then, let us all greet our happy prodigals," Jynx said, striding forward and punching Kalan's shoulder, then taking the man's hand and hauling him in for an embrace as he disengaged himself. "Naturally, we're happy for the Lockehearts, but the rest of us want to celebrate, too!"

"A party! A party!" demanded multiple voices from the class and persons young and old began to push forward to greet Kalan, Aeli, and Mai, and more and more girls began to take up the chant.

"Is that really all you people think about!?" Hinagiku demanded.

"C'mon, Hina, cut them some slack," Erika chuckled. "I mean…is there anything better to celebrate right now than this?"

Alyssa sighed, but she could not hide her own smile. "Well, then…I suppose there's only one place you can celebrate this, right?"

"Oh?" Kalan demanded, turning to her with an arched eyebrow. "Did you bring _that_ here with you?"

"Naturally. It's become the favorite getaway for Kain's errant class. Ah, I suppose we have too many stories to tell you…."

"I'm sure," Kalan agreed. "I'm sure…there's lots I want to hear about." Then he turned and threw his arms around Kain's and Mai's shoulders again. "Starting with you two…let me hear all about my two children and their friends…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Happy Ending_

 _Well, Act 20 has just started, so we don't get to the happy ending right away. But after it seemed doomed to sorrow, Sakura showed up to fix everything just right._

 _Again, this is actually a scenario from the original MSN, and I decided to keep it; there, Chao was the one who showed up to take Asuna back in time to her friends. And despite the seeming despair Negi suffered from having Asuna out of his life, including dying even much earlier than Kain did in this scenario, Asuna was not the one he chose…making it very strange to think about._

 _In any case, I've added a bit more 'happy ending' to mine, because Negi didn't get his parents back in exchange…his dad was still out there, probably still possessed by the Mage of the Beginning, and he had to go hunting for him, but in my case I've already taken the equivalent (the Obsidian Prince) and totally vanquished him. Like Negi, Kain has many trials awaiting in the future…but these trials will come from the colliding realities of seven separate worlds, not from the same threat that's been ever-existent in the Negima universe. And he'll have his dad's help along the way._

 _I referenced a couple events in manga I've drawn from (Bleach, Fairy Tail) that occur in arcs later than most of the equivalent characters would be familiar with…I've even made allusions to them before in these author's notes. They are events that will be part of the MSK 'history' if I do future parts, but which I probably won't tackle head-on. Again, if I continue any writing in this universe, it won't be a copy of UQ Holder as this was a copy of MSN, but it will be in a similar time period, one hundred or more years jump into the future._

 _Well, we have to wrap up a few things I want to take care of, and that's what Act 20 is…just a big epilogue, tying in a few more loose ends and such…._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Two: Separate Paths

It was a much more subdued gathering this time, at the shores of the Mahora Lake. Kalan smiled at the subject of their meeting. "Well…I figure this is a good place for this." He turned to his son. "But, after everything that's happened, I think that Kain should be the one to take care of it. You can do this, Kain?"

It was now Friday; after the party, which Sakura finally agreed to linger for, they resumed their regular lives and finished up their tests so that the other twenty-seven of them could graduate and, although Mai had already received her diploma, she attended the graduation with the rest of them. Now another promise had to be fulfilled.

Kain nodded. "Of course I can." He glanced around at the audience—Kalan, Aeli, the principal, Alyssa, Miyu, and Mai were all present. "First, Higurashi- _san_ , would you like to give a few words?"

The old man chuckled. "Well, well, how time passes, and how things change…fifteen years ago, we accepted a most unusual student into our school…a demon princess that had been sealed into the form of a little girl as punishment for attacking our hero, Kalan Lockeheart. She was left with a promise that her seal would be released and she would be set free if she ever did enough to 'graduate' from the middle school. The girl was stubborn and uncooperative, of course, and very bitter towards her former friend…it seemed she would become a permanent fixture of the middle school classes.

"But these last three years, despite her unsociability, she ended up blending in with the newest class…a class that had some unique individuals, to be sure. And over the past year, she has actually been of great benefit to our newest young teacher, Kain Lockeheart, the son of her friend and tormentor. And so, now, as her friends graduate and move on to high school, as she has taken all her own tests and fulfilled both the letter and spirit of the injunction that was laid on her, we deem her a fully-qualified graduate and hereby condone her release." He glanced over at Alyssa, his smile wide. "And she even listens attentively to this old man's rant! Very impressive, indeed."

"After all this time, freedom is just within my grasp," Alyssa muttered, but she smiled all the same. "There's no way I'd smart off now and risk having it taken away from me. Now, if you've had your fun, I'd like to get on with it…I have waited fifteen long years for this."

Kensuke chuckled. He nodded at Kain. "Well, go ahead then, young one."

Kain nodded, then closed his eyes and stretched out a hand. He murmured quietly, under his breath, and a magic circle appeared underneath Alyssa. Wind blew at her hair and clothes, and she closed her eyes and gasped as the feel of the magic began to overtake her. The light built and churned in a nimbus surrounding her, and then, as Kain snapped out a finish and slashed his hand out dramatically, there was a brief explosion of power, and the lights, wind, and circle all blew apart and dispersed in an instant. Then, with a lilting laugh, Alyssa was replaced by a churning vertigo of golden light. The comet-like apparition sailed in circles into the air before spiraling back down to explode in front of Kain…in the form of a busty blond-haired girl in her mid-teens in a sensuous black dress. "My deepest thanks, my dear _Sensei_ ," she murmured, taking his hands in hers and leaning her face in next to his.

Mai scowled and took a step forward. "Hey, now…!"

Alyssa laughed and disengaged, shooting Mai a teasing look as she twirled away. "Well, I shouldn't ruin the moment," she said in a more mature voice. "Don't expect to the see the little girl much from now on, though…after fifteen years, you better believe I've had enough of that child's body." She cast her coy glance around at the watchers. "Don't expect to see much of me, period. It's been fun, but it's probably best for all of us if I keep my distance from humans for a little while."

"Really?" Aeli asked sweetly. "After all the stories I've heard from my husband and son, I thought I'd get a little more time to get to know you myself."

"Hmm. Don't bet on it. Things around them are…interesting. But you people have greatly changed how these worlds work, and after so many thousand years of having my way, I'm going to have to adjust…and my…forces will have to prepare for the world to come. I'd rather not get involved in your mortal troubles for the next little bit. But…I will say this. Even with how frustrating these last fifteen years were, you Lockeheart boys…yes, with you it was fun." She smiled back at Aeli. "And you should be very honored, Aeli- _hime_. Your husband and your son are the only two humans I've ever met that I found truly interesting."

Aeli actually bowed in recognition of her praise, and Kalan said, "Well, it was certainly interesting being with you as well. I won't insult you by asking if you've gained any 'humanity' from your little imprisonment, but I won't apologize for it either. I think, in the end, that it was just a good thing I did it. Well, I should say one thing; I never did properly thank you for your friendship you showed me when I was a child. Even if you're an Infernal, and even if it was your own selfish curiosity and desires, you were a friend to me while I was young; and I'm grateful for that. And I'm grateful that you took such good care of my boy."

"And I, too, am grateful," Kain added. "You saved my life in Kyoto, and then you even went against your first instincts and trained me when I asked for it. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to here if I hadn't had your guidance. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"I…need to as well," Mai suddenly put it. "You were as much a master and teacher to me as you were to Kain at the end there. We do owe a lot to you…especially for letting us use your resort. So, thank you."

"Oy, oy, that's enough," Alyssa sighed. "Gratitude doesn't do anything for Infernals, you know. Well, at least my efforts were put to good use. Infernals don't have friends, either, but…as we part here, I will permit all of you to continue thinking of me as a friend if you really want to. If you don't, that's fine, too…in any case, I've long overstayed my welcome. But speaking of the resort—I think I'll leave it here, for you girls. Use it as you like." She turned to Miyu. "Well, Miyu, you're free now. Caria created you, to be my servant and protector while I was powerless at this school, but that's over now; I am neither a student at this school, nor powerless. You can go back to her, now, or you can stay here and continue being a student yourself, or do whatever you want with your life…."

"Alyssa- _sama_ …" Miyu began. She stared at the blonde demon, her face actually seeming hurt. "Surely you don't intend to cast me aside? Yes, I was made for that purpose…but there is nothing else I wish in my life. If it is really my choice what I do from now on…I want to remain with you, to follow you wherever you go."

"'Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee,'" Kain quoted. "'For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall me my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.'"

Alyssa cast an exasperated glance Kain's way. "Really; I'm not sure if it's a bigger insult to me or to God to quote from the Bible in order to symbolize Miyu's devotion to me." Kain just shrugged in reply, and Alyssa addressed the gynoid: "Very well, then. In the spirit of Naomi and Ruth, as idiotic as that sentiment is applied to me, I will keep you with me. After all, I can still make use of you; and I can more readily admit fondness for a devoted servant like you than I can for any foolish human." She walked over and took Miyu's hand. "We're going then, Miyu." She cast another coy glance towards her audience and winked at them. "Bye-bye, all!" She raised a hand in salute, and then both inhuman girls vanished.

Kamo chuckled from his place on Kain's shoulder. "Well…a disagreeable brat to the very end." Then he hopped down and scampered into the middle of the field where Alyssa had just stood, turning to address himself to the 'audience'. "And, well, it's probably past time for me to go, too."

"You're leaving us again, Kamo?" Kalan asked.

"I am," the ermine replied, and then in a moment he was no more an ermine, but a human with white hair and white clothes. "I told you the first time—I'm a heroic spirit drawn to heroic doings. As a trans-dimensional spirit, I can look ahead and see futures and such, although I don't like to because it's like spoilers for a movie or something. But I've looked ahead a little ways here, just in case—after all, we saw what happened the last time I left, right? But while you guys are going to have adventures and trouble…you won't really have need of my services. You've got all the contracts you need, and that'll be enough for the next fifty years or so. After that, who knows? But as fun as it's been, I have other adventures to go see, other heroes to bother, other wars to watch. The work of a spirit of contracts is never done." He smiled at them impishly. "And the other great fun of being around—watching the romantic angst around this young man—that's pretty much been settled too, right? Both of you pairs of lovers have your families to get to…and I don't need to be a part of that. So, that's my cue…so long, and take care, guys! If you ever really badly need me, you have the power to call on me. Ciao!"

Mai flushed and stuttered at his last suggestive comments, but the rest merely smiled and waved back at him as he raised his hand and vanished.

"All our friends are going away," Aeli said, melancholy evident in her words. "Even now, we're being left behind…."

Kalan chuckled. "Well, I'm sure we'll see them again. We've got a lifetime ahead of us." He glanced at his wife. "Especially you. You don't look a day older than when I lost you."

"I don't think she is," Kain noted. "I think freezing her age was a necessity for the Obsidian Star…it wouldn't do for their 'engine' to grow old and die; it's why Mai was frozen as a little girl to begin with."

"Probably so," Kalan sighed. "I, on the other hand, have borne all those years…."

"Oh, stop it!" Mai insisted. "Age, like every other enemy you face, will find it impossible to conquer you, right, o mighty hero Kalan Lockeheart?"

Kalan glanced at her in bemusement. "Like you're one to talk. Well…let's head on back. We're done here, right?"

The four continued chattering happily as they went their way, and, chuckling to himself, Kensuke followed them.

There was a nervous knock at the door. Surprised, Kagome opened it…and stared at the nervous figure standing beyond the portal. Ellis fidgeted. "A-ah…h-hello there, Higurashi Kagome- _san_ …."

"Hey, Kagome!" Shippô insisted, suddenly popping up on Ellis' shoulder.

"Shippô- _chan_! And you're…Ellis…? What are you two doing here?"

"W-what? Y-you were expecting a teacher from Arcanus Myrror…for your spiritual magic, weren't you? I was told…."

"Oh, yes, of course, but, ah, I guess I just wasn't expecting you to come here, and for it to be you…I mean, even if magic is _coming_ to Earth, the sight of a high elf in this world is just a bit…surprising…." She glanced to the side and scratched at her cheek. "Although, on the other hand, Inuyasha's appearance hasn't really raised a fuss, even after half a year…."

"W-well, I did think the same," Ellis agreed. "B-but…."

She gave a cute startled cry as Luana shoved her into the room. "Goodness, if we're going to talk about this, it shouldn't be in the doorway! Let's continue inside!"

"L-Luana! W-we haven't even been invited in, yet!"

"O-oh, but that's my mistake," Kagome said. "Please, come inside! Let me get you some tea…."

"We wouldn't dare contradict our host. I do apologize for my brusque rudeness," Luana said cheerfully.

Finally they were all seated and Kagome had tea set out for them. Ellis guiltily glanced around the chamber. "It seems…empty in here…there's so much empty space…."

"Yes, well…all my roommates are gone," Kagome remarked cheerfully. "Rather, I'm the only one who moved into the high school dorms after the year ended. Momo went back to Soul Society finally, and Mai…well, since Sakura- _chan_ ended up bringing her back, she could have gone into high school, but…she's decided to stick with Kain- _sensei_ as he goes about…whatever business he's decided on now. I mean, I guess, whatever he needs to do in order to help the magical transition of this world."

"Well, if you're lonely, maybe we can stay here now!" Shippô said happily.

"S-Shippô- _kun_ …" Ellis began.

"No, it's not a bad idea, is it?" Luana replied cheerfully. "It'd probably be easiest, so you can plan out your tutelage as you like. In any case, we should explain a little." She addressed herself to Kagome more directly. "You and Kain- _kun_ both put out the idea that Higurashi Kagome- _chan_ would be willing to learn more healing magic from someone with talents similar to her own—in other words, a master of spiritual magic, and that one of our number might be reliable for that. We do have three, after all—Ellis- _chan_ , Yayoi- _chan_ and Faina- _chan_ all use that same kind of spiritual magic. Yayoi- _chan_ probably would have been the first choice, as she is both human and has the most similar situation to yours, being a trained priestess of those arts, but she's…a shy little thing, and was a bit too intimidated by the idea of coming here on her own. Faina- _chan_ was an impossible choice, because she's always been a bit of a frail girl, who might not have the easiest time with such a transition to this world—not to mention its low mana might interfere with that health—and besides which, her sister would never allow it. So Ellis- _chan_ was the only choice left. Not that I would suggest she's a poor substitute! Ellis- _chan_ is the finest magic-user amongst us, anyway, so as long as she can avoid attracting too much attention with her alien nature, she should work fine here."

"Well, being an alien, a stranger in a strange land, is an intimidating prospect," Ellis remarked. "I-I must admit I'm a little frightened by this…but being in this world, learning about it firsthand, as Luana has done…is an opportunity as well. And if you feel that your calling is a healer, Kagome- _san_ , I'll be happy to teach you."

"And I came to help out!" Shippô announced triumphantly. "It must have been a pain only having Inuyasha around, bothering you! So here I am, ready to protect Ellis- _sama_ as she investigates this alien world!"

Kagome giggled at that announcement. "Thank you, Shippô- _chan_ ; you're very brave." She tousled his head, causing him to flinch and mutter a little about being treated like a kid, but Kagome was already turning her attention back to Ellis. "Well, Ellis- _san_ , I'm very grateful that you're taking this risk to come here; I actually thought I would need to make regular forays to that side for lessons, but…."

"I don't think your grandfather was all that fond of that idea," Luana giggled. "Or your father, for that matter. Even if it was to Avalon, that much consistent Gate travel…especially since the Gate in Avalon connects to Wales, Britain, so it'd be a trip regardless of how it worked out…."

"Yes…I hadn't thought about it, but he would interfere like that, wouldn't he?" Kagome sighed. "Well, in any case, welcome to Earth, Ellis- _san_ , Shippô- _chan_ ; if you want to stay with me, I'm sure that would make Grandfather rather happy. He wasn't very keen on the idea of me having a room to myself anyway, for some reason."

"I'm sure the continued presence of Inuyasha might have something to do with that," Luana smirked. "Well, regardless, we'll leave Ellis- _chan_ in your care…and you in hers."

8-8-8

Mei sighed as she sat at the edge of the walkway, her legs dangling over the side. As she stared out at nothing, contemplating, a shadow suddenly fell over her and a deep voice chuckled, "Troubled thoughts, Mei- _kun_?"

Mei shrieked and jumped up, attempting to whirl around and face her interrogator, but in her haste lost her footing and began to fall backwards over the edge. She screamed, but the figure reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her firmly but gently back to solid footing. "Whoopsie," he murmured.

"T-T-Takahata- _sensei_ …!"

"Didn't mean to startle you, Mei- _kun_ ," Takamichi returned. Once she was steadied, he released her. "Sorry about that. You just seemed so melancholy, I wanted to see what was on your mind."

Mei sighed. "Well…it's just…I feel so alone…both Rin- _onee-sama_ and Tear- _onee-sama_ have gone elsewhere…." As Takamichi raised his eyebrows in surprise, she continued, "Rin- _onee-sama_ accepted an assignment from the Magic Council to Fuyuki City, and Tear- _onee-sama_ has gone ahead to make preparations for Kain- _sensei_ 's tour of the magical world."

"Ah…that's right…Tear- _kun_ thinks it's her duty to do the work of the Fendes family," Takamichi murmured. "Yes…although we won and got the happy ending—and it's better than it was twenty years ago—life can't just continue on like normal. People's lives move on. I see a bit of that, too…by the end of my first year teaching that class, I had twenty-nine girls I had already learned to deeply care for. Now they've moved on to high school, and even so, only twenty-one of them even did that. Sakura- _kun_ left after last summer's festival, Mai- _kun_ has dropped out, Hinamori- _kun_ returned to the Soul Society, Yue- _kun_ went to Garderobe and Mizuno- _kun_ to Grandall, Caria- _kun_ went to help Kurt- _kun_ and the Halteese Republic, and Alyssa- _kun_ and Miyu- _kun_ have moved on to their own lives. And now…everyone's so busy, and after all this time, I've decided to take a break. Even Jynx- _san_ returned to Avalon to be with Artoria- _san_ , Kalan- _san_ and Aeli- _san_ came back but they're with their son, mostly…I think I might be feeling the same thing you are, Mei- _kun_. The world's moving on without us, sometimes far faster than we'd like." He smiled and laid a hand kindly on Mei's head. "But we can't let ourselves stay down and get left behind. We have to make our own way forward, too."

Mei forced a smile up at her _sensei_. "Y-yeah. You're right, Takahata- _sensei_ …I've just…I've got to work hard, too!"

Takamichi smiled, then released his hand and turned, gazing out over the rest of the school himself. _('Yes…that's right. There's still so much for all of us to do. Despite the changes, we all have to keep moving forward….')_

8-8-8

"You're…going away?" Kain asked in surprise. "After only one month? And…to Hueco Mundo, of all places?"

"That's right," Kalan said. "I'd rather sit around and relax for a while longer, but I think it's been left alone too long as it is. That was your biggest mistake, Kain; if you'd investigated it thoroughly after finishing off the Obsidian Star, you might have learned about Nagi's survival and been able to stop him before he stole your life away, and that whole horror could have been avoided."

Kain flushed slightly. "Yeah, well…it turned out all right in the end. And now he's gone, so what threat could Hueco Mundo be?"

"That's what I need to find out. Who's in charge, now that Nagi's gone? Do they have any designs on Soul Society, or the mortal worlds? I heard that not all the greater Arrancar were wiped out in that final battle. If they've had their fill of us, fine. If not, it's better to get a drop on their plans early. As the boy who invaded the Soul Society, I'm probably the most-qualified person on Earth to find out."

"There's another reason, too," Aeli confided. "You've just been lazing about and visiting Kyoto with us since we got back; you haven't been able to leave our sides. Well, we can't blame you, and we've been overjoyed, of course, having you and Mai around…but you have a lot of work you still want to do on Arcanus Myrror, right? If we stick around, you'll never get it done…so this is for your sake, too."

Kain sighed, but smiled at his mother. "I can't argue with that; I'd spend forever with you two, if I could. So you're just going to open a door to Hueco Mundo right here?"

"No; I'm going to go consult with Kisuke first and get his help," Kalan told him. "I've never seen anyone come from Hueco Mundo, after all, and I want to make sure I don't miss."

"Would you like to take the cloak?" Kain rose and began to move towards the garment, hanging on a hook on the wall.

"No need; I passed it on to you, so it's yours now." Kalan smiled at his son. "Well, I might have more use for it than you in the near future, but you've gone so long with it, you should keep it. It's your world now, Son. That cloak can be like the symbol of passing the torch to the promising new generation. You use it as part of your symbol of power and authority as you teach these worlds about what's to come."

"Yes, and you should get to your tour of Arcanus Myrror," Aeli pressed. "Preferably before Kurt wipes out the whole Senate. He's well on his way…."

That, Kain reflected grimly, was almost true. The several nations met under the encouragement of Kurt and other leaders after the saving of Orimus in order to sign new international treaties…and as part of it, he finally completed his coup, using even Artoria's official recognition of Kain's royal blood as a weapon to strike against those who conspired against Aeli Kanna after the previous war. The whole history of Aeli Kanna and her son, Kain Lockeheart, had been revealed; and since so many of the leaders of the great nations, senators, kings, and military leaders, were willing to testify of his actions, the whole world had no choice but to recognize Kain Lockeheart unequivocally as its savior. Kurt had been working within the Senate of Halteese for years, singling out the senators who had been responsible for the false testimonies and evidence against Aeli Kanna. Now that the momentum was in his favor, he was apparently using all those weapons; after many retired, many other senators had suffered 'accidents' in the recent months, and many more were suddenly being arrested on charges of perjury and treason.

"Not that I can blame him for that," Kain said. "These are the men responsible for defaming my mother and trying to take my own life. If he gets rid of enough of them for me, I won't have any distractions when I head over."

"Right," Mai sighed. "And we really should get to it. Tear- _san_ went ahead of us about a month ago to get things ready; she must be tired of waiting."

"Ah, yes," Kalan mused. "That Tear girl will be with you, right? You'll still have a chaperone, then. That's good."

As the two youths, red-faced, began to protest his implication, Kalan and Aeli just laughed.

8-8-8

"Kalan Lockeheart…and Aeli Kanna! Oh, excuse me…Aeli Lockeheart." Kisuke Urahara smiled at his guests. "Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Can I get you some tea?"

After he had fetched the refreshments and the usual pleasantries had been exchanged, Kisuke finally said, "Now…to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I can't imagine that mere sentimentality has brought you to my door after you've just been back a month."

Kalan chuckled. "Yeah…I'm sorry it couldn't be a simple, pleasant visit, Kisuke, but there is something I need from you. I'd like to know a little more about Hueco Mundo."

"Hmm." Kisuke's serious face overtook him. "Hueco Mundo, eh? I was wondering if someone was going to check. It's been quiet…too quiet. Nagi di Artai has few weapons left, but even so…."

"Ah…." Kalan laughed again. "Well, you haven't heard, eh? Although I guess you wouldn't know, and Kain probably hasn't told anyone apart from us about it, I think." He smiled at the suddenly confused man. "Nagi di Artai is no more. He tried to get revenge on my son by using a dangerous artifact that twisted the world, but Kain put an end to that—and him."

"Hmm. That is good news. That would partially explain why it's so quiet."

"But even so, I don't want to just leave a place like that alone," Kalan insisted. "I'd like to go check it out, and make sure it won't be a great threat in the near future…see what kind of government remains over these hollows."

"Oh boy…that's you all right," Kisuke murmured. "Just recovered from a fifteen-year self-exile, and the first thing Kalan Lockeheart does is run off with his wife to make sure a potential problem doesn't become a major threat. What about your boy?"

"Right now, I'm holding him back from getting his own work done. We'll have plenty of time to spend together when I'm done. I'm sure this won't take long."

"Right. So, really, you want my help opening a path to Hueco Mundo, right? Well, I did expect something like this at some point, so I'm prepared. So, if you'll come this way and follow me…."

8-8-8

It was actually the first time Kalan and Aeli had been beneath Urahara's shop and in his strange underground lair, but as Kalan remarked: "Well, it looks rather like the place you and Yoruichi had in Soul Society…but much bigger."

"It's quite impressive, certainly, even for those of us with experience with such things," Aeli remarked.

Tessai was suddenly there, his glasses twinkling. "Hmm…what sublime praise, as expected of Aeli- _dono_."

"No cloak, though?" Urahara remarked. "You've left it with that remarkable son of yours?"

"Yes…I already passed it on to him. After all this time, it's disingenuous to take it back."

"Mmm." Urahara arrived at his destination and hopped up onto…a pole that was protruding from a vertical, flat-topped conical rock spire. A neighboring mound of stone, its twin, held a similar pole at the same level. "All right then; I know you're someone who doesn't like to waste time, so I'll get right to it myself. I'm going to open the gate to Hueco Mundo." He knelt down and set his cane sharply on the pole as he put his other hand down to it as well. "In my right hand, the stone that connects the worlds. In my left hand, the blade that binds existence. The black-haired shepherd. The chair of the noose. I strike the ibis when the clouds gather." A beam of energy shot between the two poles, and then the power swelled out to form an ovular hole in space. Glittering blackness lay beyond. "This is the opening the arrancar used to travel from Hueco Mundo," Kisuke explained. "It's called the Garganta [Throat]. There is no solid ground beyond, just a chaos of _reishi_. You both must make your own path out of that _reishi_ … something that shouldn't be hard for either of you, considering your experience. Just go toward the darkness, and you'll arrive in Hueco Mundo." He smiled down at them. "Will you need any help getting home?"

Kalan stared at the opening for a few seconds. "I don't think so," he finally said. "I should be able to copy this if it's only going the other way. If not, I'm sure you can figure out some way of finding and contacting me if I'm gone too long." He turned to his wife. "Well, Aeli, shall we go…?"

"Hold it!"

Everyone turned back in surprise…and watched Aiden and Iria Rylack slowly approaching them. "Aiden," Kalan remarked. "What are you doing here?"

"And…Iria, right?" Aeli exulted. "It's been so long! Not since your wedding, I believe…."

"You're totally unfair, Kalan," Aiden remarked. "Going off on an adventure like this, and not inviting me along? When you're going to explore an exciting new world like this? For shame."

"And now that our kid is grown up and left the nest, there's no way I'm letting my recently reinvigorated husband go running off alone," Iria added.

"So you want to come with us? That sounds like fun." Aeli turned her smile on Kalan. "The more the merrier, right?"

Kalan chuckled. "I guess so. It'd be good to have more if we end up finding trouble; welcome aboard."

They all turned toward the Garganta, and Kalan waved up at the watching scientist. "Okay, we're off, Kisuke; see you later."

And so they dived forward into the blackness beyond.

8-8-8

They ran through the blackness, the glittering paths forming below their feet…but that description isn't quite right. Aiden and Iria ran; Kalan's position seemed more to be that of a skateboarder as his gleaming sheet of shining _reishi_ sailed along under him, and Aeli also seemed to be carried by her own disc of _reishi_.

"Who are you supposed to be, the Silver Surfer?" Aiden demanded of Kalan.

"Actually, gathering these _reishi_ underfoot is similar to the Quincy high-speed movement technique Hirenkyaku [Flying Screen Step], their equivalent of a Flash Step," Kalan explained. "But that movement becomes more useful here because of how it is applied. The same technique creates this 'surfboard' you're so jealous of."

"It's nearly the same for me," Aeli explained. "It's been a long time…but at a guess I'd say the _reishi_ concentration is even greater here than in Soul Society, so there's that many more spirits for me to call on, too."

"If you're jealous, I might be able to make you one," Kalan offered kindly.

"No, thank you; I prefer to get my exercise," Aiden insisted.

Iria smirked. "Hmm. Exercise, sure."

Finally the blackness finally burst away from them like glass, and they found themselves in what seemed to be a desert. Vast expanses of white sand stretched before them, underneath a pure black sky with nothing but a sharp crescent moon lighting it.

"So…this is Hueco Mundo, the world of the hollows," Kalan murmured. "It really gives the feeling of a world of death. Even those few trees are all shriveled up and dead."

"Hmm." Iria inspected one of the trees closely. "This isn't…these aren't actually trees. They seem composed of some crystalline, quartz-like substance."

The others examined the trees themselves and verified Iria's findings. "Well, that's all very interesting, but that doesn't do much for us here," Kalan announced, business-like. "Now, what we need to do is scout around and find the current state of this world…."

They all looked around a little more…and froze at what they finally spotted. "Well," Aiden finally offered, "I guess we'll want to start with that, yes?"

"I-it's…massive," Aeli muttered. It was a great palace, with a round domed roof and great walls. Like most of the rest of the world, it seemed all white…and it stretched nearly across the horizon.

"It's too big," Iria agreed. "It's messing with my sense of dimensions. Look…those quartz-trees look like nothing more than toothpicks, showing just how far away it is….and it's still so massively huge…."

Kalan grunted. "I guess that's about as good a place to start as any. Let's go."

They started that direction…but it wasn't long before something else caught their attention. They glanced over at the disturbance…and three hollows were chasing what appeared to be a little girl wrapped in green clothing. The girl cried and the hollows laughed as they pursued her.

"A little kid?" Aiden demanded dubiously. "That should be impossible…there can't be any living humans or anything here, even spirits…."

"Well, whatever she is, I don't like the fact that she's being chased," Aeli announced primly, and started that direction.

The others followed, and joined her in swiftly intercepting and punishing the three chasers. The little girl seemed shocked by this rescue…and even began to object to it. "Stop! Pwease stop! We didn' do anytin' ta you guys!" And she pulled her hood down, revealing…a cracked and cartoonish-looking skull mask on her forehead.

The four invading humans regarded her curiously. "A mask…but off her face…that would make her an 'arrancar', right?" Aiden muttered. "But, I mean…this little girl…is really an arrancar…?"

In short order the three humanoid hollows were prostrated before the humans, apologizing for the problems they caused, and the last, a massive worm hollow, bowed its head behind them. The little girl was dressed in that full-body green robe with bluish-green hair, and a stripe of red stretched across her nose from cheek to cheek. A scar, beginning as a crack on her mask, stretched down between her eyes to meet that stripe. She introduced herself as Nel Tu. Behind her was a skinny, purple hollow with white boots and gloves, a white loincloth, and white body armor, with an insectoid mask covering his face, Pesche. Next to him was a massive hollow, fat and bulky, with a spotted yellow tunic covering his body and a massive, hideous makeup-bedecked mask covering his face, Dondochakka. The worm behind them was their pet, Bawabawa. "We're vewwy sowwy our game of 'Eternal Tag' confused you," Nel apologized. "There's othing' else ta do here in Hueco Mundo, y'see?"

"But it seemed you were crying," Aeli objected.

"That's 'cuz Nel is a masochist," the girl explained happily. "It's no good if she doesn't cwy just a little."

"What are you teaching this kid?" Kalan asked the two 'older' hollows accusingly.

But overall, the group seemed harmless; they thought of themselves as family, and questions investigating their actually family affiliation brought only humorous and nonsensical overreactions. They likewise overreacted with fear and confusion when they finally asked about the status of the visitors and learned they were humans, and not any kind of hollows themselves. However, fear soon turned into curiosity…and Nel offered to take thehumans to Las Noches, allowing them to ride on Bawabawa's head. Deciding that his investigation—not an invasion or declaration of war—would only be helped by friendly local support, Kalan agreed, and soon the eight of them were bound for Las Noches….

8-8-8

"I didn't expect this kind of reception here," Kain muttered, staring out the limousine's window at the cheering crowds lining the street.

Tear smiled. "Really? We've already been through Halteese, and you received the same reception there. What made you think this would be different?"

"Well, I hate to be prejudiced, but Dalkia always seemed to be the country of the 'bad guys'," Kain said flatly. "Sure, they were as manipulated as anyone during the last war, but their actions in the twenty years since haven't been great; several of Eminus' girls had their homes and lives destroyed directly because of aggressive Dalkian expansion. The king has not been a benevolent ruler, by all accounts, and I didn't think my family would be well-received by him and his people."

"Well, that history already came back to bite him, right?" Mai reminded him. "The old king retired, rescinded his throne at the end of this last incident, leaving his son the ruler. That might change things…."

"It might," Kain agreed. "Of course, the old king is ready to kick the bucket any moment, anyway. I doubt his son—who isn't so young, since he already has an adult daughter—is going to be that much different, but I'll be happy as long as he's willing to work with us."

"I'd say he won't have much choice," Tear informed him. "That's what this crowd means; Governor Gödel made quite a loud announcement of your heritage and your part in saving this world, even if he didn't release details about the danger the worlds are still under. All the world recognizes you as a hero, now—the champion of the greatest gladiator tournament ever hosted, the son of heroes who saved the world, and the hero responsible for defeating the greatest enemy this world has ever seen. There's no one in this world who could defy you right now."

Kain sighed. "Yes…Kurt's still trying his plan of setting me up as a king, or something similar. Well, whatever. I'll use what I have to in order to complete this project successfully…but I think that, when all's said and done, I'd rather live in obscurity on the other side. Well, we'll see how successful I am at that when the time comes." He turned back to the brunette. "Thanks for this, by the way; I know you've been working hard to prepare all of this for me. We owe a lot to you."

"It's nothing…this much is the duty of the Fendes family."

"Yes…but your grandfather, Headmaster Hammond, said that you were determined not to be bound by the legacy of the Fendes family."

Tear chuckled. "So you've spoken with him about it. Well, that was true, before; especially since the royal family was being left as dead, anyway. But now…things have changed. After seeing what my brother did…it's just… I feel that I should be doing more, to make up for his actions. No, it's not really that…it's just that I feel…that this is something I need to do, for me. I don't want what he did to be our legacy, or anything of the sort. It's hard to explain…but there's still so much to do to protect these worlds, and I feel it's my duty to do my part, too."

Kain nodded. "That's fine. As I said, I appreciate it." He glanced up as the car began to slow. "Well, it seems we've arrived; shall we go meet the Dalkian royal family?"

8-8-8

There was a small crowd in the throne room; sitting on the right throne was a middle-aged man, bearded, with dark red-brown hair, King Ingobert Kimlaskal. Sitting next to him, where his wife normally would have been, was his blonde-haired daughter, eighteen-year-old Princess Natalia, and standing near the thrones were three more red-headed males. These were introduced as Duke Crimson fon Fabre, brother-in-law to the king, and his two sons, Asch and Luke, seventeen-year-old twins. Kain had learned previous to this meeting that both the king's wife and his sister—Duke fon Fabre's wife—had already passed on.

Kain and his two companions were introduced, and once the formalities were dealt with, the king said, "We welcome you, Kain Lockeheart. We are honored that the hero of this world has come to see us; now, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Business, largely," Kain replied. "You have been told somewhat of the circumstances that transpired at Orimus; but, for the good of the world, the details of the danger posed by the Obsidian Star have not been released. Although they are now completely defeated and wiped from existence, the mark of what they left behind still exists, and that is a threat to our worlds—both Arcanus Myrror and Earth, and more besides. I have already taken steps to deal with this situation, but they are not without consequences. To state this simply: magic is going to spread into Earth, and in time it will be a world as magical as Arcanus Myrror. Naturally, this is going to change the state of politics and normal life itself in that world; and by connection, it will affect your world, too. I am traveling about, meeting all the leaders of this world, in order to form a coherent alliance, a council that will oversee this transition. I'll need the help of all the nations; so I've come to Dalkia as well, to ask you to join this project."

As the gathered nobles considered this announcement, Asch spoke first. "You're not joking around; giving magic to the people on that side is almost an invitation and excuse to cause more wars. With that kind of power, Arcanus Myrror won't be kept secret—and a new world to exploit will be a temptation a lot of leaders on the other side won't be able to resist."

"A-Asch!" gasped the princess.

"He's frankly speaking the truth," Kain put in. "That's why I'm working to build an alliance to keep more control over this transition. We almost certainly won't be able to avoid war—after so many thousand years, we haven't done any better at eliminating that part of human nature. But we can reduce the conflicts, and have an organization set up to make it more difficult, perhaps to end them as soon as they begin. And so I humbly request the help of Dalkia to make this so." He bowed to the assembled royals.

The king chuckled. "You could demand and receive anything in this world you wanted, son of Lockeheart, and you know that quite well, yet still you come here to ask 'in humility'. Well, your proposal is certainly in the best interest of my kingdom, as well. I cannot possibly refuse it. I shall certainly help in your scheme. Just give the details of what I can provide, and they shall be yours."

Kain rose and nodded. "I will send you those details once my tour is complete; I need to make sure that everyone is on board so I can divide my 'demands' fairly. For now, I'll take your vocal commitment to my cause, and then my leave; I have many more nations to visit, of course, to get their acceptance, so I'm afraid I can't stay. But I will be in touch. Thank you for your support, your Majesty."

"Wait," the king said suddenly as Kain began to turn to go. "There is something else I can give you, for now. I know that Dalkia's reputation is not currently very inspiring; many people object to the aggressive policies and acts of my father, and trust in us is quite low right now. Therefore, I should send a royal companion with you, to demonstrate our devotion to your cause and the seriousness of your mission."

"Ah!" Natalia turned to her father, eyes shining. "Father, would you like Asch and myself to go with him?"

The king smiled kindly at his daughter and shook his head. "No, not you, my dear, I am sorry. I need you to stay here for now." As the girl fumed, he suddenly turned to the bored-looking twin and announced, "Luke!"

The youth started. "W-what, Uncle?"

"Luke fon Fabre, as an heir to the throne of Dalkia and member of the royal family, we hereby assign you to Kain Lockeheart's mission as the representative of our nation." He turned his gaze back to Kain. "Will you accept my offer, Kain Lockeheart?"

Kain smiled kindly. "I wouldn't dare refuse. Your offer is thoughtful and shows demonstrable support. I hope that Master fon Fabre will be of help to this effort; and I hope that this endeavor will be of benefit to Master fon Fabre as well."

"U-Uncle, me, really?" Luke protested. "I mean, t-this kind of thing…wouldn't Asch or Natalia be better for this kind of…of diplomacy, you know?"

"Perhaps so…but we have to see beyond the simple things in this situation," the King informed his nephew. "Dalkia as a kingdom does not have the best reputation right now, and in the future that Kain Lockeheart has described to us, we must do our best to ameliorate that. We have much work to do here at home as well; and we will have to move beyond our borders. Natalia and Asch can't do both. As Mr. Lockeheart stated himself, this mission will hopefully be as beneficial to you as to his cause. To be frank, my dear nephew…none of us in Dalkia can afford to lollygag within the shadows of the kingdom any longer."

Luke sighed. "Right…I get it. I'm in your care, then…."

"I know you're in a hurry, but you must at least give my nephew a chance to pack and prepare himself," the king continued.

"Of course," Kain agreed. "I am anxious, but I can spare a little time."

8-8-8

Luke was quiet and almost surly on the ride back to the airport, where they were scheduled to take an airship to their next destination, Wind Bloom. Kain was quietly contemplative, and looking forward to it—he had taken a liking to the king during his stay in Orimus, and he was also looking forward to see how Yue was doing in her new school….

Because of that, he largely left the young man alone for the short ride, and it was made in silence. They didn't really get to know their new companion until they were settled onto the airship.

Asch, his older twin, wore his slightly darker hair longer, as his father did, but it was carefully groomed. Luke's hair was lighter and cut short, but left somewhat wild. Luke's dress was interesting, with no shirt but a long, short-sleeved white coat that was buttoned up at chest level, leaving his bare stomach curiously exposed, although his trousers, gloves and boots all seemed normal enough, if not particularly royal. He also carried a somewhat short, scimitar-like sword, hanging horizontally on his waist, and he made his way into a larger cargo chamber to draw his sword in his left hand and begin some training _kata_. Kain wandered in after him and watched his work, with Mai beside him.

Tear eventually came in as well to find her charges, after she had done her self-imposed due diligence on running the trip, and watched Luke work for a few seconds. Kain's observations were that the swordwork was unrefined in real combat but a surprisingly dedicated and talented pursuit of the trained rotes—a man who had been trained in real swordsmanship but hadn't yet had to adjust to real combat with it, as Kain himself had been when he first took over his class all those ages ago. Tear, however, saw something else entirely in that swordplay, and she started with a cry.

"That…swordwork," Tear murmured as Luke turned to her in surprise. "Where…did you learn that?"

"Huh? Well, from my sword master, of course. Father hired a master to teach Asch and me for a few years… he was really good. We learned a lot from him."

Mai regarded Tear curiously. "Do you…recognize that style, Tear?"

"It was my brother's," Tear said softly. "Van…."

"Van?" Now it was Luke's turn to be astonished. "You…know Master Van? Did you say 'brother'?"

"Van Grants was your sword teacher, Master fon Fabre?" Kain asked him.

Luke shot a somewhat sullen look back at Kain. "Ah…just Luke, please. I hate all that formality stuff…it makes me feel…less than human. But, as for my teacher…he was just Master Van to us. He never gave us another name. Tall, goatee, brown hair…."

"That's him," Mai whispered to Kain as Tear confirmed the same to Luke. "But…what was he doing being a sword master for two young nobles in Dalkia?"

"Spying for the Obsidian Star?" Kain returned, his suggestion still a question. "He didn't use his family name, which might have been recognized. Still, whatever plot he had for Dalkia, I'm certain it died with him."

"I haven't seen him in a while," Luke told Tear, rather excitedly, his eyes shining. "Do you know what happened to him? What's he doing now?"

"He…." Tear choked, her emotions and memories assaulting her, unsure of how to respond.

As Luke once again looked at Tear in surprise, Kain suddenly cut in, "He's dead." As Luke looked his way, he continued, "He died in the fighting at Orimus, in the final battle against the Obsidian Star."

Luke was silent for several moments. Then he laughed hoarsely. "O-oh. H-haha. I…t-that's…I-I'm sorry," he mumbled, the last aimed at Tear. "I guess…he died fighting for the sake of the world, huh…?"

"Yes," Kain replied as Tear turned her own shocked face his way. "He died true to his beliefs and ideals, and his death was mourned. As his student, you and your brother carry the last of his legacy. Honor his sword and his skill, Luke."

"R-right…I will…."

He returned to his swordplay, and it began to calm him down and settle his heart. Tear wandered close to Kain. "Thank you…for that," Tear whispered to him.

"I could tell by his look he worshipped the man," Kain said back. "What I said was truth…all the truth he needed to hear. Everything else about him died in the Obsidian Palace. How you want to remember him, and how Luke remembers him…it really doesn't matter."

"Yes…but still, thank you." She turned her attention back to the young princeling. They watched him work.

"He's an interesting kid," Mai mentioned. "He's the second son, and his brother and Princess Natalia are engaged and, from what I hear, really interested in doing their part to help and fix the kingdom. He's always…felt like the odd one out, like he was background to them, so he hasn't felt like anything he did mattered…."

"Engaged…but they're first cousins, aren't they?" Kain asked.

"I think that only really matters to Americans nowadays," Tear chuckled. "Still…as you say, Mai, he is 'interesting'. He has lived a life of comfort and almost morose laziness, but it isn't really who he is…."

"You might be the best one to keep close to him, welcome him in," Mai said. "You have some common ground…if it isn't too painful, you can talk about your brother, talk with someone who respected him."

"Hmm." Tear shot a sly look Mai's way. "Well, don't think you can use that boy to distract me from watching the two of you. I'm still your chaperone while we're on this trip."

"T-that's not necessary!" the two youths objected, red-faced.

F I N

 _Author's Note: Character Introduction: Nel & The Dalkian Royal Family_

 _What, really? This far in, and I'm introducing new characters? Yes…these are minor characters intended for the Progressive History of the MSK Universe, rather unimportant in the greater scheme of things. I could have completely foregone a greater part of this…but it's part of my madness and method to wrap up this semi-epic tale. More about the characters in a moment._

 _The chapter intends to show the state of some of the characters, those who are going off their own directions in pursuit of their dreams and goals, and setting things up for the (nonexistent) future. For instance, Kain is happy to have everything settled regarding the Obsidian Star's legacy and gave no thought to Nagi after the battle concluded, but Kalan is more thorough and suspicious, and even now wants to make sure that Hueco Mundo won't be any more of a threat. He is also one of the people who can easily enter Hueco Mundo. So after spending a month with his son and wife—and knowing any longer will just prompt Kain to laze about uselessly, basking in his family glow—he decides he is going to investigate the status of the Hollow World now that its previous rulers and many of its most powerful lords have all been vanquished. Naturally the best way to present this is to use the Hueco Mundo invasion arc to start it…including meeting little Nel Tu and her buddies. I decided last minute that having Aiden and Iria show up to join them would make the group more fun. Of course, I'm not actually going to go into what happens much…unlike the Bleach invasion, the expedition in this story is more information-gathering and diplomacy, so we'll skip the rest of it. It mostly was used to introduce the characters and situations in order to prep for future events that I plan to have in future lore, but don't intend to write. And kind of in past lore—in the future Mai visits, Kain alludes to the Quincy War, meant to mimic the final arc of Bleach but from this world's viewpoint._

 _Having Nel around figures to help that story, however minor, because it really gets started with Nel coming to bother Ichigo and beg his help in Hueco Mundo, even if she and her pals almost immediately fade away to unimportance and disappear after they get the ball rolling. Nel, of course, is a minor character in Bleach during the Hueco Mundo arc, one Ichigo and friends encounter much as presented here, and she ends up getting attached to him and following him into Las Noches. Neliel Tu Odersvank was originally Espada #3 under Aizen, and the rival of Nnoitra Gilga—in Nnoitra's eyes, at least. He hated her and kept trying to defeat her, but she repulsed him continuously without care or effort. Eventually, with the help of Szayel-Aporro Granz, he was able to ambush and defeat her, and the wound he gave her across her forehead and face caused her to leak power and revert to her now childlike form, and also made her lose her memory. Rather than killing her, Nnoitra tossed her out into the dunes and left her. Her two fracción, Pesche and Dondochakka, decided that Nel, who didn't like to fight, was better off this way, and so they pretended to just be friends and family and lived their senseless little peaceful lives out in the desert….until Ichigo showed up. During his battle with Nnoitra, Nel's despair finally reawakened her memory and power, and she proceeded to beat Nnoitra around until it went away again, leaving her at his mercy. Then Kenpachi showed up, just as I showed in his battle back in Act 14. Nel didn't factor in the story again until that brief introduction to the Quincy Arc._

 _The royal family of Dalkia I presented here was originally, in TotA, the royal family of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (usually just called Kimlasca). Luke was the main protagonist of TotA. As I presented here, he was trained by Van, as part of the antagonist's plans to get revenge for his destroyed homeland…on all accounts. Luke was kidnapped as a child and lost all his memory after he was recovered, and had to be reared like a baby all over again. After this, he was also kept entirely confined in his family's manor and never allowed to leave. There is a LOT involved in all of this, of course; in fact, Luke was prophesied to accomplish great things for the kingdom, according to the Score, so after his abduction he was kept secluded for his own safety and for the sake of the Score. But this returned boy was not Luke—he was a Replica made by Van after Van kidnapped the boy, made in order to help foil the Score. The real Luke was raised by Van against his will as one of his God-Generals, under the name of Asch. After Tear, infiltrating the fon Fabre estate to kill her brother before he can put his mysterious, terribly evil plan in motion, ends up clashing with Luke and their separate Seventh Fonons react together, causing a hyper resonance that teleports the pair into the middle of the enemy nation of Malkuth and starting the adventure. Luke grows over the course of this, eventually learns the truth of his origin, and meets Asch, who hates his Replica since he effectively stole his life from him. Eventually Asch finds the opportunity to fully turn on Van, although he does not officially join the party, and is an ally of sorts through most of the game after that point. Natalia is the princess of the kingdom and the king's daughter, although she also has a secret revealed—she is not the real princess, who was still-born, but instead the daughter of the Queen's maid, born about the same time and exchanged for the perished royal heir. Natalia, despite being his cousin (and, of course, secretly not really), is betrothed to Luke, and is quite dedicated to him. Both youths were wise and far-seeing, even as children, and made a vow (a pinky promise, in traditional sappy Japanese serious swearing glory) to change the country together…before Luke was abducted. After his 'return', Natalia was devastated by his lost memory and was determined to love and bother him until he remembered his promise with her (which he couldn't, since as a Replica he never did it). After learning the truth about Luke and Asch, Natalia's feelings turn towards the original, who, a man with a stolen life, pretends to have no feelings towards that perished past. In my universe here, Natalia is probably not a false Princess—without Largo of the God-Generals, Natalia's biological father, there's no need for that plot twist, and Natalia's too minor to have such an issue. To open things up for my story more, instead of a boy and his Replica, I just split Asch and Luke into twins so Asch and Natalia could go together, and Luke could join Kain's party in a minor fashion._

 _So why did I include such minor, unimportant characters in the first place, at this stage of the game? Firstly, to highlight parts of Kain's plan…but only parts. I don't want to have the whole thing, but just want to highlight what he's doing as he prepares for the change that the Earth is undergoing. Having a group we haven't really examined—the Dalkian royal family—helped bring a new light to what I've shown so far. Also, it helps with the other part of me—my naturally romantic nature. As I've mentioned, that embarrassing trait is the biggest problem I have with the Harem genre in general: I hate heartbreaks and the life of unrequited love, and Harems are FULL of unrequited love, so I like to have some guys available to…pick up the pieces, as it were. Tear hasn't been anything more than a fringe girl, so she's not REALLY a part of 'Kain's harem', but still, I liked the idea of having a boy—her boy, really, as Luke and Tear grew properly close over the course of the game—around to 'hook up with' on the side. It won't go on in greater detail than that apart from some epilogue-like notes—as I said, they're minor characters—but I like to have some closure. It may be silly or ridiculously sappy, but in the end I plan to have every loose end tied up in some fashion or another by the end…and every girl accounted for. Many of them by their 'original boys', if I can swing it in some way._

 _Anyway, that's all that business. Once again, my very wide-ranged collection of additions demands I tie up some minor loose ends…over the next few chapters…._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Three: Destiny in Fuyuki City

Rin Tôsaka gazed out at the dark city from the roof of the school building. "There's something stirring," she murmured. "Do you feel it too, Archer?"

Her guardian materialized at her flank. "Yes, Rin. There is someone planning some unpleasant sorcery in this city."

"Can you locate them?"

"I'm afraid not…they are masking themselves well. We shall have to continue our observation for some time longer, and hope that our enemy slips up."

Rin sighed. "I was afraid of that. I was hoping to leave this place sooner rather than later, but it can't be helped. We'll just have to keep our eyes out." And she turned and headed for the stairs.

Archer glanced back at her, then stared briefly back out over the city. "Yes…this feeling. It definitely feels like something is stirring. The call of destiny, perhaps? Somehow it feels…nostalgic…." Then he vanished as he allowed his presence to follow his master.

And so fell the sword of fate….

8-8-8

The young man, not unusual save for his very short red hair, awoke, bright and early, turned off his alarm, and with little reluctance rose and stretched. Thus his hard daily routine began; he had his morning training to do, he had to prepare breakfast for himself and the freeloader who always bothered him in the morning—not that he ever honestly considered her much of a bother—and had to ready himself for school, and even so he usually had agreements at school to fulfill and thus had to rise early.

And he paid recognition to his departed father, in the traditional Japanese shrine.

His abode was impressive—a traditional Japanese home, on an impressively large lot, as this 2,500-square-meter house had on its grounds a _dôjô_ and small storage building. He didn't really consider himself wealthy—material possessions meant nothing to the boy—but seventeen-year-old Shirô Emiya had what many young men his age would consider a privileged and extremely fortuitous lifestyle.

He finally brought his food into the main living room and, to his complete lack of surprise, he saw a woman lounging about on the couch, watching the morning news. "Mornin', Shirô!" she greeted the youth without turning around.

"Good morning, Fuji- _nee_ ," Shirô returned to his _de facto_ guardian, Taiga Fujimura. He set the food down, and still without looking, the woman reached behind her and grabbed a piece of toast. Shirô set himself down and finally turned his attention to the program that had captivated Taiga. The news was reporting a strange gas leak that had victimized a few apartment buildings. Noting the location, he murmured, "That's…not far from here…."

"There have been an awful lot of them recently," Taiga sighed. "It's depressing, Shirô…what's wrong with the safety protocols of our town…?"

 _('It is disturbing…it reminds me of that fire nine years ago…the fire that changed my life._

 _('The destruction was so intense, I don't remember anything that happened before that. My earliest memories are lying on the ground in the middle of that inferno, in pain and even dying. But then…he stepped out of that inferno and came to me. He was the 'Hero of Justice' who saved my life. So many others perished, but I was saved. That man, Emiya Kiritsugu, adopted me and named me Emiya Shirô. He wasn't from Fuyuki City originally, but he settled here after the fire, on some land he had inherited. He had one close friend in town after that, Fuji-_ nee _, Fujimura Taiga. After he died a few years ago, Fuji-_ nee _has basically become my guardian. She's also a teacher at my high school, Homurahara Gakuen, my homeroom teacher._

 _('But not even Fuji-_ nee _knows the secret my father imparted to me before his death…that he was a mage. He had ideals of using his magic to become a 'Hero of Justice', but in the end he failed…he could only save me. Even so, it's left me somewhat obsessed with the idea…if I can become the 'Hero of Justice' he failed to be, perhaps he can rest easily on the other side._

 _('He never really tried to make me a mage like him…I don't really have the talent for it. He only taught me a few spells, but…it doesn't matter. My life was spared while so many others were killed. I have no right to do anything but make the most use of that spared life…whatever I can do, I will become it…the 'Hero of Justice'.')_

8-8-8

"Hey, Shirô," the boy greeted his classmate as he entered the school grounds. The addresser had short blue hair and glasses, and a bit of a _bishonen_ appearance about him.

"Good morning, Issei," Shirô returned. Issei Ryûdô was the Student Body President for the school…a man who often called on Shirô's subtle unique services.

"If we're having lunch in the usual place, I was wondering if I could ask a favor today," Issei continued.

"Is that so?" Shirô smiled. "What needs fixing this time?"

"Our DVD/Projector is going on the fritz," Issei sighed. "We don't have the budget to replace it, but if it isn't fixed, we won't have it for the Presentation next month…."

"I get it," Shirô assured him. "Don't worry about it. I'll take a look. I can't make any promises, but…."

He felt something, something unusual…something he hadn't felt before. He paused, and took in the sight as the girl passed by, primly ignoring all the others around her even as she generated stares from others besides Shirô. The piercing blue eyes, the long black hair with those strange pigtails, the beautiful face and fine form evident beneath the school uniform…Shirô was completely unsure if this sudden sensation was a predictably normal male reaction, or something else, but even so, there was something different about her….

Issei caught his look, followed his gaze, and narrowed his eyes in disapproval at what he saw. "Issei…who is that?" Shirô asked. "I don't remember seeing her here before."

"Tôsaka Rin," the Student Body President replied promptly. "She's a third year, in class E. She just transferred in a week ago, and she's already made an impression on nearly everyone around her. She is beautiful and brilliant…she's the envy of every girl, and the desire of every boy, but don't let her pleasant visage fool you, Shirô. She's obviously a devil woman, and if you let her cast her spell on you, she'll devour you, body and soul." He shivered and began to make strange passes over his body with his hand while uttering some kind of mantra.

Shirô sighed in exasperation; Issei was a child of a local Buddhist temple, raised with aesthetic training and ideals, and it was not the first time he had decried the evil of the female sex. It was hard to take his displeasure at face value…but still…what was it about that girl…?

8-8-8

At lunchtime, Shirô began to examine the Student Council's video equipment. "So, what's up with it, Shirô? Can it be fixed?"

"Hmm." Shirô considered the machine. Then he closed his eyes and began to recite the chant within himself. _('Trace: On_. _')_ The mana surged up his magic circuit, and the images began to flow into his mind. In seconds he had his answer. He opened up a part of the machine. "This wiring here…it's old and frayed, and has become disconnected. I can replace and fix part of it; it's not a permanent fix, but it'll keep it going for a little while longer. It should be enough to last the year."

"Ah, thanks, Shirô! You're a real life saver. Your skills at repairing things keeps us going even within the confines of our budget, and your incredible cooking keeps us well fed! What would we do without you?"

Shirô almost smiled. Issei's aesthetic lifestyle never applied to Shirô's cooking. _('But even that won't really be enough…I have to use my second spell to get by as well. Reinforcement, which allows me to enhance the physical properties of an object, making it stronger and more durable…and I can use that spell to help this old bird go on a little longer. That's all I can do, magic-wise…identify the properties of objects with Trace, and enhance them with Reinforcement. But, at least it helps me be useful….')_

8-8-8

Shirô's useful actions continued after school, when a friend convinced him to clean up the archery _dôjô_ for him. Shirô had once been part of the _Kyûdô_ Club, a club that Taiga supervised, but he had eventually quit it, for no appreciable reason, as far as his former comrades could ascertain. Still, friendly and helpful Shirô could never refuse a request from the advisor or any of the club's leaders. The president usually asked him to fill in on instructing underclassmen and leading drills; his friend Shinji, as he had this day, lazily asked Shirô to do tedious and menial tasks so he could go out with (a gaggle of) girls.

It was clear Shirô was being used by his 'friend', but Shirô didn't care. He was in all truth eager to help out; there was not a task that Shirô would find tedious or beneath him. Working, especially doing anything that was of benefit to others—and in this case, it was an aid to the other members of the club as much as it was to Shinji, keeping their _dôjô_ clean—was always intensely rewarding to the young man. As far as he was concerned, he was living a borrowed life, one that had already ended, and the only recompense he could make was to spend what time he could in the pursuit of helping others—small measures until he could become a 'Hero of Justice'.

He was surprised to find that it was already evening, the sky beginning to darken, by the time he finished. "Ah…I lost track of time. I should get home….Fuji- _nee_ has probably already given up on dinner tonight, or helped herself in some way…."

8-8-8

Rin stood on the roof, gazing out at the darkening sky, her arms crossed, one finger tapping against her other arm. The feel of mana in the air of the city was thick, and it was sickly…dark and sinister. Not as dark as she had experienced recently…but it was clear that someone was working dark, diabolic sorcery….

Archer materialized behind her. "The circles are all in place?" she demanded curtly without looking at him.

"Yes. The spell is ready to cast at your leisure."

She nodded. "Now we can cast our web, and see if we catch anything. We'll track down this dark magus and deal with him promptly…."

"That simply won't do. You should be careful when you cast webs to catch flies…you may catch more than you bargained for."

The voice materialized out of thin air, and Rin was almost stunned by how close it was. There was one safe play…Rin immediately leapt off the roof, swiftly vaulting the small wall in front of her. "Archer!" she snapped. Archer faded to the more spiritual plane and instantly his presence was following Rin down. "I'll leave the landing to you," she continued, and as Archer's magical power slowed her fall to the point where her landing was lazily slow, she began to prepare a spell of her own.

Even so, she was just preparing to finish when the evil red spear came lancing out at her. Archer materialized with his swords first, however, and repelled the attacker. Rin stared at the assailant as he backed away and observed his prey—tall, thin but strong and wiry, almost _bishonen_ in his face and wearing dark but vivid blue armor, with hair of almost the same hue. And that spear—the entire weapon seemingly of steel or some stronger, rarer metal, and entirely red.

 _('That incredible speed, that impossible stealth, and that mana he emanates….')_ "There's no way you're human," Rin growled.

"Heh. Maybe." The attacker assumed an aggressive posture. "But it's interesting I'm facing someone who is an Archer…a being that actually has a class. I do, too, so you can think of me as nothing more than a Lancer."

"Lancer?" Rin considered this. "Then you're a Heroic Spirit as well?"

"Not 'Heroic Spirit'," Archer denied. "This one, at least, never was human."

"Then…." Rin's eyes widened in shock. "A conjured spirit warrior!? What kind of magus could manage a spell like that!?"

"Who knows?" Lancer scoffed. "Die in ignorance, mageling!"

He charged, but Archer intercepted him with his blades. "How very interesting," Lancer continued as they traded blows. "An Archer opposes me with swords…I wonder if you're truly possessed of self-awareness."

"Your abilities of perception are great to identify my class so easily," Archer countered. "Of course I have some skill with the bow, but I have many skills, and in this case I am certainly at the most use defending my Master in direct combat…so that she can fight as well!"

He pushed Lancer back and danced aside as Rin threw a gem at the spirit-warrior. The blue crystal burst into a storm of ice as she snapped out a quick German phrase, but Lancer vanished before the storm and reappeared several meters distant.

"Ho…you do have skill, mageling," Lancer complemented her. "There was some bite in that spell. I can't let my guard down…perhaps I'll have to be serious…."

Then the group, all three combatants, froze as they noticed that an interloper had arrived. Shirô stood yet some distance away, but he was close enough to see the moonlight glinting off the weapons of the two spirits, who stood out most to him, eclipsing even Rin's presence. _('W-what is this…? What's going on here…? This feeling…this is bad, very bad! These people are dangerous!')_

Shirô had lived his life with survivor's guilt, believing his life was only borrowed and hardly worthy of any attention, but now, as cold instincts informed him that he was staring death in the face, he truly felt fear and in his heart blossomed a sincere desire to continue living, to not greet death so swiftly.

Lancer scowled in irritation. "Tch. A witness, eh? Even now, we can't have that…you'll have to die first…!"

Shirô turned and began to run…and from the positioning that had arisen from all their movements, the safest place, directly away, led him straight towards the main school building. Lancer began to pursue.

"Archer!" Rin snapped desperately.

Archer moved to intercept, and did succeed in slowing down the aggressive spirit, forcing him to turn and give his attention to his foe; but Lancer did not engage him in combat. He immediately spun his spear around and released a burst of energy, forcing Archer back…and although he recovered with rapidity, Lancer had already vanished.

"Let's go!" Rin insisted. "We have to stop him!"

8-8-8

Shirô sat and leaned against the wall, panting for breath. His flight had taken him up the stairs and to the third floor. He considered that he had eluded death, at least for now; there was no sound or sight of anyone having successfully followed him, and from here he should have advance warning of their arrival. At that point it would be easy to slip past them, back down the stairs and out to freedom….

His mind reeled over what he had seen. _('Fighting with swords…and a spear…in my own schoolyard? What is the meaning of this? What on earth is it about? And this feeling…somehow…it reminds me of that fire…and more than that…I never really felt it outside of my practice with it before, but the feel of magic was in the air…were they real mages…?')_

"You run pretty well, kid. It's too bad, really. If you hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time, you might have lived a little longer."

Shirô stared in wide-eyed shock, because with absolutely no warning the spear-wielder was suddenly there in front of him. Before he could move Lancer stabbed him in the heart. His eyes still wide in disbelief, Shirô sank and fell over onto his face without a sound. "Sorry about this. It's nothing personal; but no witnesses, mages or mundanes, can be allowed to see anything of my Master's operation, including seeing me, and live. Don't worry; I'll make sure you won't be lonely in Hell tonight." And then he faded away, leaving Shirô there alone, still and bleeding out far too swiftly.

8-8-8

"Their signatures led to here…." Rin froze as she entered the hallway and stared at the dark, still form lying on the ground, the stain of blood pooling out underneath him. "No…." Her eyes widened in shock as she further recognized him.

"How unfortunate," Archer murmured. "That spirit is agile and has excellent senses. He left immediately…it seems he's temporarily retreated to prepare an ambush."

"Don't give him time," Rin snapped. "Go hunt him down. I know you're strong enough to deal with him…don't let him have an opportunity to narrow the gap between you."

Archer focused on Rin. "And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up soon enough. Go!"

Archer obediently faded away as Rin stared at the dying—or perhaps already dead—young man. She had seen him in the school, once or twice—and something about him had also caught her attention. In Shirô's case, the truth was that Rin was the first mage he had encountered since his father's death, and he had somehow sensed the magic in her, something that did not happen often; even though natural magical sense was a common attribute of those with magic, sensing the magic within other mages was impossible without direct sensory spells. Excepting extreme cases such as the current Kain Lockeheart, that magical energy, that mana, simply wasn't strong enough. But something had somehow triggered between Shirô and Rin, allowing him to sense her magical presence, and he, already ignorant of much of the magical world, had been unable to understand what he was sensing, what had attracted his attention. And in Rin's case, it was something much more mundane…a casual glance had revealed far too much behind the doors of his eyes. Rin was a girl with a rather tragic past herself, and with her own travels in Arcanus Myrror she had seen enough of those who lived in despair, with haunted pasts, with death and misery in their memories. Outside of her circle, however—her peers, like Kajirô and Tear, who were connected by that tragedy ten years past—normal high schoolers she knew in abundance were far removed from such dark pasts. Yet here was another one…seemingly an ordinary, unimportant boy, but one whose short life had already seen far more despair than any human should fairly face.

She thought about this, and furthermore about the heroes who had prevented those tragedies from spreading to the rest of the world…Kain Lockeheart and Kalan Lockeheart. For several reasons—for her family, and for her own satisfaction, and because of the example she had seen in her life—her goal was to earn the title of Archmage, to become someone like them. "It would just seem an unimportant life, an ordinary person I've never known and never would know," she murmured. "But either one of them would not agree, no? All lives are important, aren't they?" She drew out a jewel, her most powerful mana battery—the item she had used to summon Archer, as well. "He would probably say this was a waste," she murmured. "It might not even work…but the attempt…they would believe it would be worth it, wouldn't they?" She poured her spells into the jewel, activating it and letting it fall toward the still young man. It fell in slow motion, its momentum slowed by the magic, and turned into a ball of light and disappeared inside the man's body. Then Rin turned and hurried for the stairs, using her magic to sense out the presence of her spirit and his prey.

8-8-8

The weapons clashed again as the two spirits dueled. "You're very persistent," Lancer insisted, his voice halfway between annoyance and admiration.

"The same to you," Archer responded. "It's very difficult to find an opening in your fighting style. For an artificial spirit, your skills are first-rate."

"I'll take that backhanded compliment. You talk big, but it's not like you're really a Heroic Spirit yourself, right?"

Archer smiled grimly. "Ah…so you can see even that, eh? Even so, I won't allow you to do what you like. You will fall here."

Lancer suddenly repulsed Archer and jumped away defensively. He frowned as he glanced briefly out at nothing. "Strange…I would have sworn it was impossible to fail to kill him. Where's he going now…?"

"It's dangerous to turn your attention from me!"

Archer came charging in, but Lancer faded away swiftly, his voice lingering on the air: "Sorry, but with my orders, it's imperative I eliminate threats as swiftly as I can before turning my attention to more difficult ones. We'll resume shortly."

"Archer!" Rin came hurrying up as the spirit stared after his vanished foe. "What happened? Did he flee again?"

Archer turned slowly back to his Master. "Rin…you saved his life, didn't you?"

"I tried," she snapped back. "Kalan Lockeheart would insist it was worth trying…as would Kain. Why?"

"Well, I suppose I cannot fault you for that…but this spirit has exceptional sensory abilities. If his prey escapes death once, do you really believe he'll just give up?" Rin's eyes widened in realization, and he continued, "It appears the boy has revived and fled…and that Lancer has gone after him. You spared his life just so that he could lose it once again."

8-8-8

Shirô had indeed revived and, confused over his sudden liveliness, fled the scene and returned to the safety of his home. Specifically, he went to the stoutest location of his property—his storage garage, a building too sturdy and large to simply call a shed. For him, it doubled in importance because it was here that he secretly practiced his magical skills.

"What was that?" he murmured, now that he had a safe and peaceful moment to consider his continued existence. He stared down at his chest and felt at the tear in his shirt. It was certainly bloodied and stained, but the flesh underneath was perfect, fine, with no piercing, no wound, no mark that he had ever been injured. "I was certain I was dead…the pain was all too real. It's clear I was hurt…but now, nothing. So how did I survive…?"

"I'm wondering that myself…but it's even more unfortunate. If you'd had the good sense to die, it would have been the end of your pain."

Shirô started as Lancer was once again there behind him, and he whirled on the spirit, eyes wide. Whatever else was happening, this madness wasn't a dream.

"Now, this time, die!" Lancer lunged forward.

Shirô managed to dive and roll aside, came to his feet swiftly, and grabbed a rolled up map that was the closest item to hand.

"Ho…you really think you can fight back with something like that?" he chortled as Shirô briefly closed his eyes and brought the map up to a sword-like ready guard. "You're certainly not dull, even if your persistence is irritating."

He lunged forward again…and Shirô blocked with the map. Lancer stared, stunned that the seemingly flimsy item survived the contact. Shirô took the opportunity to strike back with an unpracticed swing, but Lancer fielded the attack easily. This aggression also broke Lancer from his amazement, and he swept Shirô aside. "Well…so you, too, are a mageling, if untrained and unpracticed. Too bad it is not enough to save you!"

He dashed in again as Shirô began to recover. Shirô again managed to block, but it was just a playful feint, and Lancer lashed out with his leg, kicking Shirô through the wall.

He hit the ground in the yard outside and rolled several times before coming to a stop. He struggled for breath, and to return to his feet, as the spirit warrior slowly stalked outside towards Shirô. Shirô's mind numbly contemplated the reaper as his death slowly, lazily approached…then a figure dropped from above onto Lancer, twin swords flashing.

Lancer whirled and blocked the attack. "Still you chase me, false bowman? You should have prolonged your life by leaving be when you had the chance! Why now sacrifice yourself for a nothing like this cub?"

"I sacrifice nothing," Archer returned. "And I hardly need to fight you for him. My only goal right now…is killing you."

Shirô stared at the battle as Rin hurried up next to him. "Are you all right?" she demanded.

"A-ah…?" Shirô turned to stare at her. "You are…."

"Yes, well, never mind that now. You should get back…it's dangerous right now, and I have work to do." She raised a hand, fingers outstretched, and laid the left arm across her outstretched right. She began to chant in German and magical power began to build as Shirô watched in amazement.

Lancer glanced back over his shoulder briefly at Rin, annoyance marking his features. _('Damn. So many distractions…no matter how I try, I cannot break the guard of this infuriating Archer, and now that little mageling girl is going to try her luck again. I have no choice—my Master did not wish me to use it at this time, under these circumstances, but if I'm going to kill these impediments, I must_. _')_ He suddenly began to release a surge of power as he focused on Archer. "Star Strike – Spear from the Heavens!" he cried, and suddenly plunged his spear into the ground at his feet.

A meteor in the shape of a glowing, purplish-pink spear of gigantic proportions fell from the sky. Archer leapt back to avoid the impact, but the force of the blow drove him back further and far from the fight. At the same time Lancer was already rounding on Rin, moving with inhuman speed and preparing a second magical assault. "Gae Bolg – The Lance Which Pierces Hearts!"

Rin recoiled, canceling her attack spell and desperately trying to prepare a defense, but she knew any measures she had time for would be insufficient against the power now roiling out from the spirit. To her further shock, Shirô suddenly sprang up and threw himself between them….

And golden light exploded as Lancer's spear connected with Shirô. The light strained against the attacker's power for several seconds, then won out, blasting Lancer back and away. He and Rin both stared dumbfounded at Shirô, who looked rather surprised himself. Shirô was still radiating a strange, palpable power. "Impossible…my ultimate technique, the perfect one-shot-kill strike of Gae Bolg, stopped…what the hell is that power!?"

He sprang back and away again as Archer attacked. He stared grimly at the three as he and Archer readied themselves to resume combat. _('This is madness. Nothing makes sense. Not once, not twice, but thrice I've failed to kill just that mere boy when it should have been as easy as whistling. Now all I can do….')_

 _'That's enough, Lancer. Withdraw.'_

Lancer was dumbfounded at the mental command that entered his mind. _'W-what!? But, not only have they witnessed me, these three have even seen my techniques! To allow them to live…!'_

 _'I said withdraw, Lancer. They have won this round…we underestimated them and must prepare more carefully for the future. Besides, they have pricked my interest…especially that boy. We will have other opportunities.'_

Lancer cursed under his breath, then relaxed his guard. Archer looked at him in surprise. "Well, it seems I failed to kill any of you…a failure that galls me greatly. But my master has deemed that your lives are to be spared, at least tonight. We shall see if you are so lucky next time."

"You think we'll just let you go!?" Archer shot back, preparing to charge.

There was an explosion of power, and Lancer was gone, leaving only his laugh lingering in the air.

Rin stared after him for some moments, then finally recovered her senses and sighed. "That spirit is dangerous…his Master must be a powerful mage indeed. But now…." She turned a serious stare at Shirô, who regarded her almost fearfully. "What are we going to do with you…?"

8-8-8

Rin sat on the sofa, looking around at the accommodations of the living room. "So this is your house? You seem rather well-off," she remarked candidly as Shirô politely entered with a tea tray, laden with all the usual, including three cups. She thanked him and took a cup for herself, adding a healthy amount of sugar. "You are also quite a gracious and thoughtful host." She took a sip, then continued, "Well, we should introduce ourselves properly. I am Tôsaka Rin. And you are…Emiya Shirô- _kun_ , are you not?"

"Ah…yes," Shirô admitted, surprised that this newly-arrived beauty queen would know him by name. "Emiya Shirô, 3rd year. I am in Class B." He looked around warily. "Ah, but…that man…?"

"Archer is a Heroic Spirit, a spirit of magical power," Rin explained. "He isn't human, so he doesn't need to eat, drink or sleep like we do. He also can exist outside of this world—in fact, that's easiest for him. He's keeping an eye out for me right now from the magical plane, just in case an enemy returns. It seems we've driven them off tonight, but it's important to be vigilant."

"A magical…spirit…?" Shirô murmured. "I never heard of such a thing…of course, my father never told me much about that side. Then, you are a mage, Tôsaka- _san_?"

"Hmm. Yes, I am…and that way of asking the question shows that you _are_ aware of magic, if only a little. That's rather surprising. But you still seem ignorant about a lot…what kind of teacher did you have?"

"Well…my father was a mage," Shirô admitted. "Emiya Kiritsugu. He's only my adoptive father, actually…but he told me about magic. He only taught me a little bit…he didn't really want me to become a mage, but thought that I should be able to do a few things for myself."

"Emiya Kiritsugu…I don't know if I've heard of him. Where is he now?"

"He died, a few years back."

"I see…that explains a few things. He adopted you when you were orphaned, but he wasn't married himself, was he? That's why you never talked about your mother, since you've never had one. So now you've inherited all this for yourself…Emiya- _san_ must have been a powerful mage. He obviously had some wealth. And now you…." She stared at Shirô judiciously.

Shirô returned her stare without evident discomfort. "Then, the reason you transferred suddenly to our school…it's because you're a mage? You came here…to fight that guy with the spear?"

"Well…after a fashion." Rin sighed. "This is far more troublesome than I like…far bigger problems than I expected finding. Although…." Her look again returned to one of curiosity, but she continued, "I work for the Magic Council of the Kanto region, and I have come here on assignment. Nine years ago most of the mages in charge of this region were wiped out in some sort of disaster. We still don't know much of anything about it, but since then there hasn't been a lot of magical presence in this region…which is probably how someone like you slipped through without notice. But now, there's some sort of sinister magic at work in this town…and I've been sent here to sniff it out, and put an end to it." She watched Shirô's face again, saw it harden ever so slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Nine years ago?" Shirô murmured. "That…the fire that destroyed this town…that cost the lives of so many people…was that related…?"

"Is that how you were orphaned and adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu? Probably. There was something mysterious going on here at the time as well…most likely, the instigator survived and is trying to repeat whatever they did before…perhaps what they failed to do. However, that's all just conjecture on my part. So, what are you going to do now?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, technically, you shouldn't be involved…but that dangerous Lancer has his eye on you now, and he'll probably try to kill you again."

Shirô was silent for just a moment. "If that tragedy is going to be repeated…it has to be stopped. I don't know how much I can do, but I can't let that continue. If I can help in some way…."

"A very foolish idea." Shirô looked over in surprise as Archer materialized. "You should realize after seeing it…this kind of battle is far beyond you. What are you going to do about it?" Shirô's face hardened, but he didn't reply for several long moments. "You see it, don't you?" Archer challenged him. "You have some kind of instinctive ideals, but you have no power to enforce them…and that kind of thinking is the most dangerous. Ideals without strength will only get you killed."

Shirô lowered his eyes. "Yes…that might be so. I thought that…I cared nothing for my own life…that it was worth nothing, especially to me. But…tonight…I was really frightened for my life. I earnestly thought…I didn't want to die. But that was instinct…real human instinct. I guess I must have natural human feelings…it's human to fear death. But…if I gave into that feeling and ran away…and other people died because I did nothing…then it would be worse than dying. I can't let anyone else suffer like that…never again."

Archer tsk'ed but did not continue. Instead Rin said, "Well, that's…an admirable sentiment. Somewhat familiar. This enemy is more dangerous than I first thought; it might be rude to you, but perhaps I could use your help. You have…some kind of special magical power. If we were to cultivate that, perhaps you could be of help. And then you could do your part to prevent the tragedy of Fuyuki City from repeating. Is that what you wish?" Shirô's look of determination was enough, and she continued, "Well, then, we'll give it a shot. So, first off, tell me: what kind of magic do you practice?"

"Well, not very much…I can do Trace and a bit of Reinforcement."

Rin stared in shock. "What? That's all?" She sighed. "What a baby bird of a mage. Well, nothing helping it." She rose. "In any place, this is a nice place to use for a base of operations while we work. I'll make some preparations for training you to be a proper mage. Come back here immediately after school tomorrow." She glanced over at Archer. "I assume that, since you're here, all the wards are in place?"

"Of course. This place is now secure…at least for now."

"That's enough. We'll take our leave now. I'll see you tomorrow, Emiya- _kun_."

On the way back to her own apartment, Archer asked her, "Are you sure about this, Rin? That boy…."

"He seems simple and he's criminally untrained," she agreed. "Goodness, what was his father thinking, only teaching him that much? But still…you saw, didn't you? There's some kind of inhuman power inside of him. He shouldn't have recovered that quickly, that perfectly, just from the jewel I used…I'm not any kind of healer, not even as powerful as Tear. But he was still in perfect health…and when that attack should have killed him, and probably me, too, a power came up out of him, a power strong enough to neutralize a _Hôgu_ of that caliber. There's something there…and if we can bring it out, we might both get what we want."

"Hmm. I suppose. But we wary, Rin; you might not like what might come forth…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Character Introduction: Shirô Emiya_

 _I thought this mini-arc would be two long chapters, but after going this far, I've decided on 3 short chapters instead. Introduction, Build-up, Climax/Finale._

 _Obviously, this is a Fate/Stay Night-centric arc, pushing Rin Tôsaka more into the limelight. It's the base, but like several of the stories I've integrated, I've also eviscerated it. Gone is the Holy Grail War—there's no place for something that intense in such a minor arc. I simply have the skeleton to build around Shirô and Rin; other than those 2 and Archer (oh, and I guess Fuji-_ nee _), although there may be similar characters, there won't be anyone else directly from Fate/Stay Night._

 _This mini-arc is similar to the Bleach presence in my story—since I decided to make Rin slightly more formidable by giving her Archer, I had to build something around Archer to really justify and explain him, and that's really the purpose of this arc. People familiar with the Fate universe—and even those who aren't, if they've been paying attention—can probably see right through my plan right now. If not, no worries, it will be coming out quick._

 _Anyway, Shirô Emiya is the protagonist of Fate/Stay Night. His past is as described in this chapter—in fact, as he is the real main character of this arc, he has been quite well-represented, so I actually don't have too much more to add at this time. Again, my own subtractions affect him the most—no lovely_ kohai _named Sakura in love with him (she would just complicate matters, and I'm trying to wrap up MSK, not embellish it too much further), no evil best friend Shinji (he sort-of appeared, but he's not a mage relation at all and will have no other bearing in the story; the same principle was simply convenient to keep Shirô at the school to witness the fight) and most especially, no Servant Saber. Obviously, Saber already exists as Artoria, and part of the reason for that is to get away from the weird female King Arthur motif to begin with. There will be some connection…again, Fate veterans might suspect it. Shirô will have to rely on his own powers, not those of Saber, in order to help Rin out._

 _I simply decided to have an evil mage with magical 'class' servants be the villain here, attempting a forbidden ritual of power in Fuyuki City. That's the opponent, and these servants aren't the Servants from Fate…they are more like artificial souls, similar to how the original Assassin was simply the 'idea' of the mythological Japanese swordsman. Thus, they have no other names ('they' of course means that Rin and Shirô will have to face more than just Lancer) and they are simply warriors of magical origin._

 _I think that's enough for now…let's continue with this distraction._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Four: Chaos in Fuyuki City

There it was…shining before his eyes. A beautiful, golden sword, a blade that glowed with its own

light… a glorious light, as great and powerful as the sun….

It intensified, growing ever brighter, until suddenly the light filled his world, blocking out all else…and then the light was gone, and left standing there was a woman, dressed in silver armor over a royal blue dress, with beautiful blond hair and eyes as blue as the sea. She stood there at the cliff's edge, staring out across the panoramic landscape, a sword in front of her, point in the ground, her armored hands resting on its hilt. That same, beautiful golden sword….

There was an intensity in the scene, a sense of belonging, of rightness, of familiarity. Somehow, that woman, that sword, were familiar to him, although he had never seen them before….

Shirô suddenly awoke. He sat up and stared at nothing. The image lingered in his mind. Suddenly he came to himself, shook his head, and put a hand up to it. "What…was that?" he murmured. Then he glanced at his clock. Almost time to get up anyway…he might as well get his day started.

8-8-8

Shirô was surprised by how normal the day was. He saw Rin at school—he was looking for her—but she seemed to be intentionally avoiding him. Of course, since they had no classes in common, it was difficult for their paths to cross, but….

There was no sign that anything had happened at school, no fight, no broken glass, no bloodstains—it was somewhat eerie, and was one of the reasons Shirô wanted to talk to the girl. Even Issei was surprised when he insisted he had to leave early that day.

However, as normal as the day at school had been, contrary to his expectations, the rest of the day was most unusual. He arrived home and was shocked to find that Rin was already there. There was luggage in the living room and she was bustling about in his kitchen.

"I was going to ask last night, but you really don't have much in the way of teas, do you?" she demanded before he could get a word in. "How disappointing. Darjeeling tea would be the best…I'll have to pick some up tomorrow sometime."

Shirô stared at her. "Tôsaka- _san_ …what are you…?"

"Hmm? What, I did tell you we had to start your training today, didn't I?"

"No…that's not it…what's with the luggage?" Shirô insisted.

"What? That? I'm moving in, of course. You have plenty of room here, after all, and if we're going to be allies in rooting out the dark magic here, we should be in close proximity to maximize our safety. Your place is much nicer than the little apartment they saddled me with; all the holdings the magic society had here were lost in that disaster back then."

"Stay here? But…!"

"I already stated my reasons," Rin interrupted crossly. "What?" Suddenly her face took on a devilish smile. "Or…do I have to fear for my maidenhood, lodging here with you…? I never took you for such a wild animal, Emiya- _kun_ …."

Shirô sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. "No…fine, then. You have made good points, I guess…the truth is, I really know nothing about this situation. I'll be relying on you for this, Tôsaka- _san_ ; I'm in your care."

"And I in yours. There; first, some tea, and then we'll see what we can salvage out of your magic training."

8-8-8

Rin set out a kind of wire tray, with a collection of old incandescent light bulbs carefully placed in it in an ordered series. "Reinforcement is a simple magic, but its simplicity serves well in combat," she explained. "It has many uses, for both weapons and yourself. So, let's see how you can do. Flimsy glass like this breaks easily; if you can make these bulbs strong enough to survive impacts from falling and being thrown, that would be a satisfactory starting point."

Shirô nodded as Rin presented his testing materials. He set the tray in front of him and stretched out his hand towards the first bulb, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. _('First, construct the magic circuit within yourself…let the magic flow through the circuit and then be projected into the world….')_

Rin narrowed her eyes as Shirô prepared his spell. _('He's an utter novice, but he has no aids…no wand, no magic circle, no words he's reciting, not even subvocalizing; what is he doing?')_

Then the magic kicked out into the world…and the light bulb shattered. Shirô stared at it in shock, and Rin made a displeased face. "What was _that_?" she demanded.

"I-I'm not sure," Shirô said. "I-I just…." He trailed off, confused himself. He usually didn't use Reinforcement on fragile glass objects like this, but it still should not have been a terribly difficult task.

"Well, try again," Rin sighed.

Shirô did so, with the same method of spellcasting, invisible to Rin, and the same result, as the second bulb shattered. Likewise did the third, the fourth, and more, and before too long every light bulb Rin had brought was broken.

Rin sighed deeply and cradled her forehead in the fingertips of her right hand. "I knew you were a novice, but this…it really defies words, Emiya- _kun_. I really don't know how to begin. Well, I guess there is one thing I can say about your efforts…what method are you using to cast the spell? Are you so confident in that spell you can perform it without word or gesture?"

Shirô looked at Rin, confused. "What do you mean? I'm simply casting the spell like my father taught me—constructing the magic circuit within me, letting it draw the magic in and send it out, and shaping the magic as it comes out of me."

Now Rin seemed utterly confused. "Construct…the magic circuit? What are you talking about? Magic circuits are part of our own personal inner 'mana system'—they carry the mana we draw in from outside and push out the mana we expend as we cast spells. What do you mean, 'construct one'?"

As Shirô thought about his father's instructions and sought for a reply, a short buzz from above distracted them. "Ah…that's the bell from the living room. What time is it? Past five already…that's Fuji- _nee_ , come for dinner, obviously. I haven't even started it yet; I better get over there…if you'll excuse me."

He hurried out, Rin staring after him. Archer materialized with a chuckle. "Well, that was interesting. We're in trouble with this one…whether we try to depend on him, or just to protect him, he may be more harm than help." He glanced over at her. "Is something the matter?"

"Construct the magic circuit," Rin repeated. "Does that make any sense to you, Archer?"

"Hmm. Well, it's a deliberate way to gather mana if you practice it. It's something any novice can do, but not usually taught, because it takes great effort and time to complete; it's simply easier to learn magic through traditional means, wands, circles, gestures, words. But if you draw in the mana and mix it with your own, then turn that mana into a magic circuit to circulate through your body, it creates enough dominion over the mana that it can be shaped as desired when you emit it forth again, just as you would with words or circles. In addition, it's an entirely silent, undetectable means of working magic. You can't even tell he's begun casting until the spell is complete. Of course, from that position it's almost impossible to work towards mastering the magic, if you use that artificial circuit as your crutch to learn."

"I see…I do recall the theory, now, more a novelty than any useful magic technique. But, a father teaching his son to use magic subtly in normal society…it would be useful. Unfortunately, if that's the extent of his magical skills, he really won't be of much help…." She absent-mindedly picked up a shard of glass…and froze in shock. "What…is this…?"

Archer took it from her numb hand. "It's metal…steel," he muttered.

"Impossible," Rin whispered. "From Reinforcement…straight to Transmutation? With his skills? And on _accident_? Every single one of them…."

"Yes…he obviously wasn't trying to perform Transmutation," Archer agreed. "He's ignorant of the theory, but the magic used, even with his rough technique, was strong enough to break the bulbs from the speed and strength of the enchantment. A magic he's never used before…that he never knew existed…."

Rin turned to stare at the door. "What _is_ he…?"

8-8-8

Rin suddenly strolled in while Shirô was in the middle of trying to placate the hungry and annoyed Taiga, and the older woman immediately began an uproar over finding the girl in Shirô's home. Surprisingly, Rin placated her quickly—going into a sob story about how an accident had befallen her place of residence and that, already a new and transplanted transfer student, she was left homeless in this strange city, with nowhere to go. Until, of course, the valiant gentleman Shirô had learned of her plight and, since his large estate had plenty of room, had offered her a place at his home, at least until she could find a new place for herself.

Shirô was almost sickened by how well Rin acted the part of the weak and helpless female. He was also unsure whether he should be put off or not by the ladies' mutual consent that, while young men and young women of high school age rooming so close together unchaperoned was normally grounds for concern, Shirô himself was distinctly 'harmless' in this scenario. It might be charitably taken as a mark of respect and admiration, but somehow the way the two discussed it made it seem like some kind of insult….

After Taiga had been placated, fed, and sent away, Shirô asked Rin, "You're really…planning on staying here?"

"Of course. I told you before, didn't I? This is most convenient, and for your safety, as well—if that Lancer fellow decided to come back for your life and we weren't around, you'd certainly be killed instantly. Also, we're both going to skip school tomorrow—it's obvious you need a lot more training and education before you'll be of even moderate use to me, so we'll need to start working on smoothing out your…bumps and inconsistencies."

Once again, Rin's authoritative declaration would brook no argument.

8-8-8

Again, the golden sword. Again, the noble-seeming woman. The same images, burning their intensity into his mind.

Again Shirô awoke with those images strongly prevalent. "The same dream…again…and right after…all of this?" He shook his head again. "My father once said…that dreams could be important to a mage…I wonder if there's some meaning behind this? Maybe…perhaps I should ask Tôsaka- _san_ about it…."

8-8-8

Rin slept in and woke up late, revealing a new side to herself—the image she had given off at school in the short time she had been here had been that of a dedicated, intelligent, model student, but now that she was here at Shirô's residence, she showed her real colors. Shirô was soon convinced that she was lazy and negligent by nature, as she insisted Shirô attend to her needs 'as a proper host' and lazed about with little care of her appearance or attitude. Maintaining her façade was important to her at school, but apparently Shirô wasn't someone worth going to the trouble for. As has been noted, he was a dedicated young man who got an almost masochistic pleasure from doing work for others, but for the first time in his life he was tempted to deny his services to this insufferable girl. But in the end, he couldn't…although, at least for now, he decided he wouldn't trust her to interpret his bizarre dream.

Perhaps he was too critical—after breakfast, she went away to dress properly and returned more businesslike and respectable as she declared it time to begin Shirô's training. It was possible she simply wasn't a morning person. In any case, she led him, this time, to the _dôjô_ , where Archer materialized with a pair of _bokken_ —heavy, curved (relatively _katana_ -shaped) wooden sticks, and handed one over to him. "We'll put the regular magic training aside for now," Rin said. "We'll see what you can do with what you have while you train with Archer. He'll teach you something about swordplay and using your body to fight, so that you can at least survive long enough in our future battles to possibly do something useful. Follow his instructions."

"Are you sure we have the leisure to do this?" Shirô demanded. "What about that mysterious sorcerer and his plans for Fuyuki City?"

"Right now, it's better not to pursue him," Rin countered. "Archer and I have set up wards all around the area that will go off if he tries anything nearby; if he does, we'll go out and try to stop him. For now, he's given us space, so we might as well use it."

And so began Archer's training with Shirô. Archer was a 'spirit', something that Shirô had not been taught anything about and therefore had difficulty understanding; in particular, it took him some time to get used to the spirit interacting with him as if he were flesh-and-blood. Archer repelled Shirô with disdain as Shirô attempted to fight with the few lessons of _endo_ he remembered, using his _bokken_ in just one hand. He was snide and cutting, almost vicious in his mocking commentary on Shirô's abilities, and he struck without remorse or mercy, knocking Shirô down hard and leaving him painfully gasping for breath.

In fact, it felt like Archer should be breaking his ribs and bones with the force of his strikes, but each time Shirô recovered with wonder and without any lasting or even noticeable injury; he silently chalked this up to the 'spiritual' nature of Archer, and instead focused his attention on trying to learn what Archer actually was trying to teach him in between his barbs.

"For mages, there are really two types of combat and two types of combatants," he explained. "Rin is a 'wizard', as they are sometimes called, a caster who prefers to sling spells at the enemy from afar. Those who prefer to fight up close and personal are called 'combat mages', usually, and they have to be more flexible with their magic. That spell of 'Reinforcement' you are practiced with can be useful in combat, in a variant more commonly called 'Enhancement'. You can use it on your weapon, making even a small stick or a rolled-up newspaper powerful enough to cripple limbs and snap bones, and you can use it on yourself as well, making your skin hard enough to resist injury, your legs fast enough to propel you out of harm's way, your arms strong enough to tear down walls. If you wish to contribute anything to this current magical crisis, if you wish to be more than a spectator or a victim, your only hope is to use your magic in this way."

It was easier said than done—Shirô's unique method of preparing his magic took a moment's dedicated concentration and was difficult to use in the throes of combat, and he felt frustrated with his lack of success as the beatings continued. Like the lightbulbs, it seemed he just couldn't get a handle on it, and he felt that the day was a waste as it approached later afternoon and Rin finally decided that the training for the day had been sufficient and sent Shirô off to shower. As Rin considered the day's exercise, however, she contemplated the fact that she had seen far more.

"That was awfully vicious, Archer," she chided her spirit as they watched Shirô depart. "I don't think I ever saw you that serious even in our hardest battles in Arcanus Myrror. Do you have something against Emiya- _kun_?"

"No…I can't really say that there's any reason," Archer said. "It's just instinct…I can't help but loathe him. Perhaps it is simple jealousy." He chuckled.

"Oh, do be serious. But still, did you have to hit him so hard? I was certain you broke his shoulder at least twice there and it looked like you had snapped his arm three times…."

"You did tell me to test his body…and it's just as you surmised. There is some exceptional, almost godlike level of magical regeneration working on him. After all, I _was_ trying to break every bone I could, but the injuries healed almost as fast as I could break them, fast enough that he was healed before he even realized he had been seriously hurt. It certainly can't be your jewel; he has some other magical power inside him. It feels nostalgic, somehow, but I can't really guess what it is. Also, that intense magical power underneath it is starting to stabilize; he was actually working his Enhancement into the combat more cleanly with each passing strike, but he didn't seem to notice that, either."

"Yes, it's a rather uncanny talent," Rin mused. "It's unnatural…and almost unnerving. The only natural talent like that I've seen before is Kain Lockeheart, and he was a certified genius and the legitimate son of two heroes. Emiya- _kun_ is nothing but a dunce by comparison, and his magical power outstrips his pitiful understanding. Somehow, my jewel seems to have awakened some sort of sleeping power within him…he never needed it before, so it lay dormant, but now…."

"I'm not sure we should continue this," Archer protested. "As ignorant as he is, he may prove to be a threat more than a help in the coming conflict."

"You really do have it out for him, don't you? Don't worry about it; it's not Emiya- _kun_ 's fault, after all. In any case…."

The chill feeling suddenly went through her, and silent alarms began to ring in her ears. She stiffened. "Archer! T-this is…!"

Archer nodded, curtly, his own levity and aggressive disdain replaced by cool composure and serious resolve. "Yes…a Necromantic, Death Magic-type spell. Someone has activated an enchantment to leech all life from the environs of your school…."

8-8-8

They began to head for the school, with Shirô in tow. Rin at first was unsure of whether she wanted to bring the neophyte mage along, but as she hesitated in the yard, briefly considering the matter, Shirô put the question to rest himself by exiting the building at that moment, a _bokken_ in his hand. The look on his face said it all. "There's something…very wrong going on at the school, isn't there?" he demanded.

 _('He hasn't put up any wards…what kind of magic sense is that?')_ Rin shoved the thoughts aside and nodded. "Right. We better hurry there…something bad is happening, for certain."

They soon arrived at the school grounds. To them, a palpable haze drifted over the school, but any passersby seemed to notice nothing amiss. "W-what is this?" Shirô murmured.

"A death spell," Rin muttered back. "Everyone inside is in great danger. I've already contacted the nearest unit of the Magic Council, so they can conduct 'clean up' of this incident, but if we're going to save lives…it's up to us. I don't like rushing into unknown danger on the enemy's turf, but right now we have no choice. Let's go."

Rin ran through the gates onto the school grounds, pursued by Shirô…but she was less than a dozen steps in when a sudden shadow and flash of a blade descended upon her….

Rin dived and rolled aside, and in the instant she did, a new figure appeared to intercept the sudden attacker. Archer repelled the foe and stood staring at him in bemusement. "Well, how audacious…to ambush us as soon as we arrive. How sneaky, to attack a girl like that…."

The tall, thin man in the opulent Japanese robes smiled back. He was a truly handsome man, with long blue hair, including two long strands of bangs that framed his face and fell yet further, dressed in lavender and violet, and wielding a thin sword as long as he was tall. "Ah…skillfully deflected. For what it's worth, I apologize. In truth, I do not like such tactics myself…but I have been conjured into this world as one of Assassin class, so that was how I was commanded to defend this place. To me personally, settling this in a proper manner, between swordsmen, is far superior."

Archer chuckled. "You hear that, Rin? This man seems to have taken an interest in our fight. Leave this to me and head on inside." He dashed forward to match blades with the strange swordsman.

Rin nodded as she rose. "Right. Let's go, Emiya- _kun_!"

Shirô followed her as they ran for the building.

The blades whirled as the two spirits clashed. As they locked blades, Archer commented, "Well, it's no bother to me if you'd rather play than pursue them…but isn't eliminating threats still your highest priority?"

Assassin chuckled. "Well, it's certainly true…but I am allowed some leeway, since I am not the only servant of my master on these grounds."

"Yes…I thought so. In which case, I should try to finish this up quickly…."

8-8-8

Rin slowed as they entered the school building, hesitating and wary of traps, but Shirô exploded past her, eliciting a start of alarm from the girl, heading straight for his classroom. He hurried on, ignoring Rin's protests, and called out as he threw open the door: "Fuji- _nee_!"

The students were slumped over and lying still on their desks. Taiga lay face-down on the floor, but she managed to struggle and lift her head as Shirô rushed to her side. "S-Shirô…" she murmured. "A-ah…you're all right…thank goodness…I was worried…when you didn't show up this morning…." Then she closed her eyes and her head fell to the floor.

"Fuji- _nee_!"

Rin finally joined him. "She's weak," she murmured. "But we've arrived in time…it seems they're all still alive. If we can end this quickly, they'll be in no lasting danger. I can quickly use a spell to help them stabilize and resist this, and then we should…."

Shirô sudden rose, a hand extended…and grunted in pain as the object punctured his palm. Rin glanced up in surprise, her eyes swiftly taking in the pointed cylinder and the thin chain that adorned the end of it and following it up towards the woman in the short one-piece dress that held the other end of the chain. The woman had long magenta-colored hair and, apart from her skimpy outfit, had nothing else remarkable about her—save the visor-like mask that covered her eyes.

The woman yanked the dart free and Shirô gave another gasp of pain. Then, as Rin leapt to her feet, chanting a spell, the woman darted away down the corridor.

Shirô also hurried to his feet and started after her, crying for her to wait, but Rin hissed the same injunction Shirô's way. As Shirô turned to her in surprise, she continued, "We certainly have to chase her…but let her run and see where she goes. After all…if we started this battle right here, we'd be dragging all our schoolmates into it…wouldn't we? So let's not 'catch' her until she makes it to someplace that is more advantageous to us."

Shirô's face turned resolute and he nodded in agreement. As they hurried with a little more restraint and caution after the strange aggressor, Rin said, "Do you think you'll be able to fight?"

"Of course," Shirô agreed. "If I don't…Fuji- _nee_ and Issei and the rest…they'll die, right? Never again…I won't let anyone else die…never again…."

It almost appeared as if the spirit was confederate with their desires to settle the fight in a freer arena—she made her way up to the roof and took up a defensive position there. Shirô and Rin regarded her warily as they came up after her and readied themselves for combat.

"You're inquisitive little mice," the woman murmured. "You should have run away…now I have no choice but to kill you and add your lives to the sacrifice."

"You…you're another magical spirit, aren't you?" Rin demanded. "And you're the fulcrum through which your master is casting this necromantic spell, aren't? All the so-called 'gas leaks' that have been afflicting this city…those, too, were your dirty work, weren't they?"

"You see well, little sorceress," the spirit replied. "You are skilled…but as my master thought, while admirable, you are no appreciable threat to our plans. But as a reward for your insight, I shall tell you plainly before I kill you. The previous incidents of 'gas' were indeed minor experiments, gathering a bit of energy and testing the response the Magic Council might give towards our actions. And now my master has given me the command to use this school as the ground for our first grand undertaking, to be the beginning of our harvests. And, since you have identified my attributes as a magical spirit, I shall give you a clue to my power and even tell you that my class is Rider."

"This…is the beginning of your 'harvests'!?" Shirô roared in anger. "This is you 'just getting started'!? You plan to take all these innocent lives, and you won't even be satisfied with that!? I won't allow it! I'll stop you here, no matter what!"

Rider smiled slightly, then dashed in, one hand holding that spike like a short sword and the other holding the length of chain that connected it. She thrust rapidly with her spike, and Shirô defended himself desperately with his _bokken_ , already enchanted as he could with his magic. After a few seconds of this onslaught, during which Shirô could do nothing but parry, Rin suddenly snapped out a spell, and Rider was forced to jump back and avoid it. Shirô immediately took advantage, rushing forward to start his own offensive.

Rider, however, threw out the chain in her hand, wrapping it around Shirô's _bokken_ just above his hands and even wrapping up around those hands with it. Shirô, shocked, was suddenly pulled in and Rider thrust forward, her spike aiming for his heart. He managed to get his weapon in the way to block, but Rider stretched her might against the oversized stick, pressing it harshly; then, as Rin began to chant again, she suddenly pulled Shirô up again and maneuvered him, leaving him between herself and Rin, all while maintaining her pressure against him. Rin cut off her chant, cursing, and tried to maneuver, but Rider kept her captive between the two women.

Finally, despite the Reinforcement he had used, the _bokken_ shattered in Shirô's hands. As the spike moved in for the kill, he suddenly forced his hands up, bringing the spike into contact with her own chain, then hit her with a surprise shoulder rush, knocking her down and freeing him from the bind. He swiftly began to retreat.

"Not bad," she murmured as she rose. "But what will you do now, boy, without a weapon to face me?"

 _('That's very true,')_ Shirô thought. _('I don't have any chance unarmed…not even a chance of survival, let alone defeating her. Maybe…if I had the right weapon…maybe weapons…like those two swords he used….')_

Rider dashed in again. Rin was again chanting a spell, readying something strong enough to penetrate the spirit's natural magic resistance, praying that Shirô would survive long enough for her to use it. Instead of fleeing before the charge, however, Shirô set himself to receive it. She nearly cut off her incantation to cry out in anger, fear, and despair….

Shirô met the attack…with a cross parry. There was an explosion of colliding energies. Finally Shirô threw Rider off, forcing her away, and flexed his new weapons that he held in his hands…two short scimitar-like swords, one black and the other white.

Rin stared at them in shock. _('Those are…Kanshô and Bakuya, Archer's swords! How!? Conjuration? No…they have all the magical presence of Archer's swords, something impossible for a mere conjured weapon. Nor is it Requip magic like that used by the Queen of Avalon or Erza Scarlett, or even the simplified version used by mages like Jade Curtis, merely storing one or two important weapons and items. Well, I can't worry about that now…I finally have this chance….')_

"What is that?" Rider demanded, as bewildered as Rin herself. "What are those weapons? Where did they come from!? What _are_ you!?" Then she turned in shock and cried out in fear as Rin's jewels scattered at her feet, then exploded into fire that engulfed her.

As the blast obscured the spirit, Rin approached Shirô. "Those swords," she murmured. "Emiya- _kun_ …how did you do that?"

Shirô turned to her in surprise. Then he glanced down at them, examining them curiously himself. "I…I'm not sure. I just felt something…it almost felt like a whisper, telling me how to do it. And they came…just as how I imagined they would." Then the two swords in his hand subtly and completely faded away.

The flame also did as Rin continued examining Shirô, considering the matter. There was no woman left behind as the fire faded, leaving only a charred portion of cement. However, a few moments after this, they looked over in surprise as Rider materialized again, further back. She was charred and looking quite the worse for wear, but she was standing. "You're young. I underestimated you both. I won't make that mistake again. I'll go at you with all my power, to make absolutely certain that I eliminate you."

She raised her spike…and then reverse-gripped it, and plunged it into the side of her neck. As the youths stared in shock, blood sprayed from the wound, then fell swiftly into an inscribed magical circle around her. Power burst forth into light, again obscuring her, and an instant later it was gone…and Rider ascended to the sky astride a glowing white horse with massive feathered wings. No longer did she carry spike or chain, but instead glowing golden reins with which she directed the glorious beast. "I told you at the first," she said airily. "My class is Rider. Come, Bellerophon!"

The egasus gave a sorrowful whinny, then began to emit a stronger, building energy. Rin whirled to Shirô. "Get down!" she hollered.

They dived aside, just before the blast of energy impacted the roof where they had just stood and leaving a smoldering crater. Then the egasus streaked away from the impact, not seeming to have lost any momentum in the meteor-like attack. It banked around, then finally swept back to hover over them again, flapping those great wings. Rin gritted her teeth as she rose. "That's enough…don't think we'll just let you have your way!" She raised a hand and began to chant, and a visible magical circle manifested around her as she spoke.

"Not so fast!" Rider urged her mount onward, and with another cry, the egasus swooped down. There was not as much energy in this charge, but the winged horse would still trample and crush Rin if it collided with her, and Shirô dived in to tackle her out of the way. She lost her spell with a cry, but she was spared the punishment Rider intended; she thanked Shirô shakily as the two rose.

Rider again swept back to hover over the pair. "You are slippery, and I'm running out of time. Your companion is likely to return soon, so I should finish you off. Behold!"

Energy began to build around her and light enveloped rider and steed, obscuring them with its golden-white glow. Rin began to panic. "This…might be it…I can't resist a power of that level!" She fired a few spells at the glowing pair, but the magic scattered away harmlessly.

Shirô also stared, mind racing. Somehow, his thoughts were focusing on the last 'advice' Archer had given him during their training earlier.

 _["You are a novice in all things," Archer chided him. "Still, you have some potentially powerful, incredible magic within you. I can't guarantee it will do anything, but you might be able to use it if you stop thinking about working the magic. Don't build your magic circuit; don't stir your mana. Simply imagine yourself with power…the strongest power. Focus simply on that, and…perhaps something will happen."]_

It was that injunction, plus the instinct he suddenly felt, that prompted him to conjure forth the two swords of Archer himself. Now Shirô thought feverishly about the advice once more. _('But no, even those swords won't do anything about this. I need a stronger power…the strongest power. That would look like…that sword…that golden sword that's been haunting me….')_

He screamed as his subconscious focused on his obsession and summoned it forth according to his expectation but not his explicit will; the magic surging through him, traveling through natural, unused magic circuits, caused a brief flash of intense pain, and the sword appeared in his hand, flickering, in all its glowing glory. Those instincts that had been driving him informed him that this power would not last long, and so he submitted entirely to them, and the sword solidified for just a moment as he swept it down in an overhead slash, and a golden light blasted out to meet Rider and her mount. There was a dual scream as the pair were entirely consumed by the attack.

Rin stared at Shirô as he stood there, panting, and the sword cracked, shattered, and then vanished. "Emiya- _kun_ …" Rin began, and then repeated his name, with more force and concern, as he collapsed to his knees and then his face, breathing raggedly and heavily.

Shirô fought desperately to hold himself on his elbows, at least. Rin continued staring at him, trying to support him. "Emiya- _kun_ ," she repeated, "that was…incredible. I knew…I've seen some amazing things from you so far…but that…what was that? That sword…how did you conjure it? Do you even know what that is?"

Shirô looked at her in surprise. "You…recognized it?"

"Yes…I've seen it before. But what about _you_? What do you know about it?"

Shirô looked up, face wistful. "It's…a dream I've been having since the night before. That golden sword…and the kingly woman who wielded it."

Rin's shock increased, if that were possible. "Kingly woman…do you mean you saw…Queen Artoria in your dream? And so you just…conjured her sword, Excalibur?"

"Projection," Archer declared, appearing suddenly. "He isn't Conjuring…he's Projecting. It's a conceptualized weapon that, for some reason, he has authority over. Very interesting…"

Rin's surprise turned to accusation as she looked Archer's way. "You're late. What the hell were you doing?"

"I apologize," Archer replied. "The opponent was difficult; I only just defeated him. Still, it seems you made out all right here. Now, the spell is also broken; this school is safe now, and none of the students or teachers here have yet lost their lives to the magic."

"R-really?" Shirô managed. "Thank goodness…." Then he gasped and collapsed fully to the ground.

8-8-8

Rin sighed as she emerged back into the living room from Shirô's room, where he had been lain to rest, unconscious. "Well…I must admit I never expected he'd be capable of what he did today. I honestly have to admit I owe him my life…but still…I feel ungrateful, but I can't help but wonder: how did he do that?"

"Some answers were revealed today," Archer replied. "As I said, it is the magic of Projection, similar to my own primary magic powers. As a natural ability, it's absurdly powerful, and I'm not sure how he obtained it; it's impossible for normal humans to have that kind of ability, it requires simply too much mana, more than a normal human or mage can hope to hold. But at least we know the reason why he has enough mana to use the ability, and where that power and magical regeneration comes from, don't we?"

Rin hesitated. "I can only think…that somehow, he has in himself…the scabbard of Excalibur. Artoria Pendragon received her family's ultimate, lost sword, Excalibur itself, as the artifact from her contract with Kalan Lockeheart. Over the course of their adventures during the last war, the Red Wings recovered Excalibur's scabbard and made use of it, but the scabbard itself had become a virtual conceptualized weapon. In the final battle, to help him overcome the Obsidian Prince, Kalan Lockeheart reduced it to its mana form and absorbed it, and in this way consumed its physical essence in this world. It would have returned, as a magical conception, to the magical realm from which Merlin originally fashioned it…."

"Yes…and somehow, it has made its way, again in a conceptualized form, into the body of Emiya Shirô, giving him inhuman levels of mana and allowing him to regenerate from almost any injury. That is the force that your gem touched when you tried to save his life, fully awakening its power."

Rin glanced back at the doorway. "Emiya Shirô- _kun_ …how did a novice mage like _you_ obtain such a legendary, magical relic…?"

8-8-8

It was late the next morning when Shirô finally awoke. He wandered into the living room to see Rin already awake, sipping tea and typing on a laptop. She glanced up at Shirô as he entered. "Ah, Emiya- _kun_ …you're finally awake. You're looking well."

"Tôsaka…what happened? What about the school…?"

"It's safe now." She flipped on the television and pointed to the news, which reported on the 'gas explosion' at their school, how all the students and faculty present were hospitalized from exposure to the gas, but were currently stable. "When combat between mages leads to casualties and damage, the Magic Council has to step in and clean up. As I mentioned before, Fuyuki City hasn't had many mages here since the disaster nine years ago; we don't have the resources to sweep something like this away entirely. But at least for now, the threat has stopped…but we're no closer to solving this mystery."

"You mean the sorcerer behind this?" Shirô queried, his eyes tightening.

"That's right," she sighed. "We defeated two magical servants at the school last night—we got Rider, while Archer dealt with the one calling himself Assassin. But the one we fought originally—Lancer—he wasn't there; this sorcerer still has cards left to play."

"I see," Shirô murmured. He glanced at the clock. "Ah, I am late…but I should still do my morning training. If you'll excuse me." He turned and headed out towards the _dôjô_.

Rin watched him go, then pulled up the Mahônetarticle on Kiritsugu Emiya she had finally managed to dredge up and read the history of the mage. "His father was involved in unholy eternal life experiments, and, on the run, traveled with his son while he was young; eventually an Executioner Squad tracked him to a southern Filipino island about the time he finished turning the island's inhabitants into vampiric monsters. Kiritsugu killed his father himself after making contact with the Executioner Natalya Kaminski; afterwards, she took him in and raised and trained him to follow in her footsteps. He became a famous 'Mage Killer' on this side, as a Freelancer like the Dark Bullet and Aiden Rylack rather than an Executioner….

"His last known location was Eastern Europe, where he came under the employ of the sorceress Analia Chovos, about ten years ago; both vanished, leaving on some off-the-books trip, and neither has been heard from since. So, from there, Kiritsugu somehow ended up here in Fuyuki City…was he, and perhaps Analia Chovos, involved in that disaster nine years ago…? Was it related to this somehow…?"

"The timing is precise," Archer commented as he materialized. "Over the last ten years, the attentions of the Magic Council of the Kanto Region has been focused on the fates of Kalan Lockeheart and his son. Perhaps someone—maybe this Miss Chovos herself—recognized that fact after the incident at Halie, and decided to conduct unholy experiments of their own in this city. I doubt burning down this city was part of that plan, however; but Kiritsugu's sudden retirement after saving the life of Emiya Shirô, without informing anyone of his survival and presence, were related to the disaster."

"And perhaps somehow he recovered the scabbard of Excalibur in the midst of his own traveling," Rin murmured. "That kind of thing wouldn't be made known to official record keepers, after all. And he used it to save Emiya- _kun_ …." Rin sighed again. "That explains, at least in part, Emiya- _kun_ 's special attributes, but it does nothing to really tell us who the enemy is. Well, it's a start…."

8-8-8

Shirô did not actually have any martial arts _kata_ that he performed in his early mornings, but his father had taught him that a mage must have both a healthy mind and a healthy body, and Shirô adhered to that counsel as he did everything Kiritsugu had taught him. Besides, it did calm and help focus him, particularly when he was frustrated or emotionally distressed.

The ordeal yesterday had taxed him; after summoning that golden sword—was that really Excalibur?—he had felt as if the magic was tearing his body apart, but now, he felt much better. Rin also seemed not to be too concerned, so apparently he had fully recovered….

As he wiped away the sweat on his face with a damp cloth, he suddenly noticed a presence. He started and turned in surprise to behold a girl, blonde and blue-eyed, about thirteen years old. She smiled at him as Shirô stared at her. _('This girl…who is she?')_ he thought. _('How did she get in here…?')_ "E-excuse me…."

"Ah, sorry for intruding," the girl trilled. "You are Emiya Shirô- _san_ , are you not? I simply wanted to meet you, but your place here is so large, I didn't know where I was supposed to announce myself, so I just wandered in and started looking around. You can call me Anya- _chan_."

Shirô stood there, almost frozen, staring at this chatty and audacious, brazen girl. "…But who am I, really, that you know who I am? How on earth did you learn my name…?"

"Ah, aren't you Emiya Kiritsugu's son? Of course I'd know about you. He was, after all, a dear friend of mine."

"What? But that's not possible," Shirô denied. "No; he died five years ago. You would have been far too young to know him, to have been friends with him, and if you had known him well enough to remember him even now, then there's no way we wouldn't have met."

"Ah, silly Shirô- _san_!" the girl giggled. "Don't you get it? Despite how I look, you should be well aware…when it comes to magic, appearances can mean very little, indeed. Yes, you understand, Shirô- _san_ ," she continued as Shirô's face hardened in realization. "I am a mage myself, and far older than this body would suggest. I'm glad I've found you. You've proven yourself to be very interesting. If you came with me, I could teach you all the mysteries Kiritsugu never could, about magic and its secrets. Everything you've ever wanted or desired…including being a 'Hero of Justice'…could all be in your grasp…."

Shirô stared at her and her enticing, inviting smile. "Who are you, really?" he demanded. "Who are you to make that kind of offer? Tôsaka told me that every competent mage in this area that remained vacated after the fire nine years ago. A team has to be assembled from all around the prefecture just to handle what she calls 'routine housekeeping'. So where have you been all this time? There could be only one mage around here with that kind of knowledge and magic…only one sorcerer. You…are the 'master' of all those spirits, and the one behind this whole 'death magic' plot, aren't you!?"

Anya applauded for him. "Yes, well done. You were at least able to figure out that much, to my relief; it wouldn't be worth having you if you were utterly brainless. Of course I am."

Shirô jumped back and raised his hands slightly, assuming a kind of defensive pose. "You're trying to sacrifice innocent people, including my friends and classmates, for some twisted end of your own, and you think I'd willingly follow you!? Never! I'll do whatever it takes to stop you, first!"

"Oh, don't say never…it's a long time, indeed. I'm sure I can do plenty to convince you to aid me…."

She dodged backward as the spell exploded by her. Shirô glanced over his shoulder in surprise at Rin, who stood in the doorway. "That blond hair and blue eyes," Rin growled. "There's no doubt…you're a member of the Chovos family, aren't you?"

"Not 'member'," Anya replied. "First and only head. I am Analia Chovos, master of the Chovos clan. You should be more gracious to visiting dignitaries, Tôsaka Rin- _chan_."

Rin's eyes widened. "Analia…impossible! She's at least forty years old…!"

"You're short by an entire digit," Anya purred. "Although I don't like having my age discussed. Come now, are you really so shocked, little mageling? Don't you know what Death Magic is even for? Taking the lives of others, especially lives in bulk, is only useful for a handful of spells, and most that are that powerful attract far too much attention for too little gain. The only worthwhile pursuit of any mage is eternal life, isn't it? Kiritsugu's father thought so, although Kiritsugu himself didn't agree."

"Then you…this city nine years ago!?"

"Naturally. It didn't go as well as I liked, and Kiritsugu figured out what I was up to before I completed it. He interfered; not that he saved any lives by doing so, as the backlash was bad enough to this town, and nearly as bad to me. But that's a tale for another time, isn't it? You two have been interfering with me; that's what I came here to discuss. But, really, I don't mind all that much. In fact, you two could be very useful to me. If you agree to help me out, maybe we'll let bygones be bygones, eh?"

Rin's face hardened into a vicious smile. "Hmm…I don't think so. We're ready. Archer!"

An arrow of light fired from on high blasted through the roof and…exploded around the girl. Her own smile remained as Rin's fled. "Clever, but you really think I didn't expect that? You have some talent, girl, but you're really nothing without that remarkable spirit of yours. Don't press your luck."

Archer appeared much closer now, swords out, and charged in at the unmoving girl, but suddenly he was met by another materialized spirit, wielding two short, straight swords of his own, a handsome man with curly dark hair and a mole under his left eye. "Sorry about this," the newcomer murmured. "But I can't let you harm my master."

Rin began to chant a spell, but then Lancer was suddenly there, in front of her and sending her flying into a wall. She slumped to the floor, unmoving, her head hanging limply and her eyes closed. Shirô roared her name and started towards her, but a mass of black serpents sprang like vines from the floor and coiled about him, rendering him captive, as their summoner, a freakish-looking man in odd clothes with huge bug eyes appeared at Anya/Analia's flank. "Goodness, how pathetic," Anya sighed. "Was that really the best you all could do? Did you really think that you'd been getting the best of me, keeping me at bay? I admit I found you intriguing, that your potential was noteworthy…but if I could control multiple spirits like this, couldn't I have done it at any time? Your wards were sloppy and insufficient, which is how I strolled in here." She glanced at Archer, who was locking swords with the new swordsman and surveying the scene, eyes frantically calculating. "This Heroic Spirit…is certainly possessed of some unique and immense powers, but as your contracted aid, he has severe restrictions…beginning with your own life." Lancer, on cue, swung the blade of his spear to poise by Rin's throat. "Now, I'm sure you care nothing about the boy, but unless you give up and submit to me, your master will die. It is your choice; neither of you mean anything more to me than a bit of idle amusement."

Archer glared daggers at her, but finally he relaxed his stance and let his swords vanish. "Fine. I have no choice; without my master, as you implied, I will cease to exist in this world. I submit. Now let her go."

"Later, when the time is right. You're not the only card here." Anya drew a strange, crooked-bladed dagger from somewhere about her pretty little dress, and approached Archer. "But you're one I'll add to my deck, for insurance." She stabbed Archer's chest with it, and the blade penetrated with a mystic ripple. "Your contract is annulled. You belong to me, now, thanks to Rule Breaker." She withdrew the blade and let it vanish as Archer stared down at her in shock and anger. "Now, all of you, go back. The last is between me and the boy alone."

Spirits and mortals all vanished, leaving only Anya, Shirô, and the snakes that bound him. Anya focused her attention on Shirô and smiled widely. "Now, Shirô- _san_ …you are the most interesting of all. You have a great treasure inside of you…but even that isn't the extent of your wonder. Even so, to have acquired natural abilities like those you've just demonstrated…it's truly remarkable. I'd like that working for me…and the more it's by your will, the more beneficial it will be to me. So, with that…why don't you come work for me? There is much we can accomplish together, if you'll put yourself in my care."

Shirô gritted his teeth and fought against his bonds. "What about Tôsaka!? What have you done with her!?"

"I just sent her on. I won't harm her…probably. If you agree to join me, there will be no need. I'll do what you wish of me with her…I'll let _you_ do what you wish with her, turn her over to you entirely. Doesn't that sound like a fair bargain?"

"But…if I do…are you still planning to sacrifice this city to your black magic?"

"Well, yes. Maintaining my endless life isn't something that is done easily. So? Do you really object that strongly? Are you so naïve you believe that you can save everyone? Learn this lesson well, child—it is impossible to save every life. People die around this world every day, in droves, in thousands, and far more than that. Giving of yourself to save paltry nothings like those in this town will doom and damn your own soul. I've had the evidence right here with me to that. If you really wish to 'save life', then choose which lives are most important to you. I know you care nothing for your own; but what about that girl's? Will you sacrifice Tôsaka Rin in order to vainly try and save this town, simply to spite me when they are in my power? Or will you at least agree, for her sake? Really, her life means nothing to me. The lives of the people of this town mean nothing, and should mean as much to you, because they are already as good as gone, no matter what you do. So, only two lives truly hang in the balance here—yours, and Tôsaka Rin's. How much are they worth to you? Answer truthfully."

Shirô gritted his teeth, his mind racing. There had to be some way out, some solution, some answer other than the doom that seemed assured….

And then the air rent. A yawning maw opened in the air, unseen by Shirô because it appeared behind him, but Anya stared up in shock. Four figures emerged from the hole and spread out around the bound boy. "Well…what an interesting scene we've stumbled into," Kalan murmured as he looked over the pair. "How do we begin to describe it?"

"Let's figure that out after putting an end to it," Aiden replied, drawing a pistol. "This young-seeming girl feels quite dangerous…."

Cursing, Anya turned suddenly to mist and then vanished just as quickly. Her voice remained, however, wafting through the air: " _Really…mages like this, popping up out of nowhere…I'm not stupid enough to stick around for this. But you can't stop my ritual, so I suggest you don't interfere. Dear Shirô…think long and hard about my offer…."_

Shirô stared after her…then the snakes about him suddenly fell to pieces, cut to ribbons faster than he could perceive, and he turned to stare in wonder at his saviors. "Seems it's just you now, young man," Iria greeted him. "Now, why don't you explain to these responsible adults just what in the blazes is going on?"

F I N

 _Author's Note: Fate/Stay Pineapple_

 _I'm really bad with random amusements, personal jokes most others don't get. While my younger sister and I were watching Fate/Stay Night, we remarked that the name was rather obtuse and pointless, like many Japanese titles, and that any random collection of English words was just as effective at conveying the theme of the show, and thus my sister started referring to it as 'Fate/Stay Pineapple', or just 'Pineapple' for short. To me, it's funny._

 _Anyway, I have the trimmed-down Fate story here, and we got to meet the original Assassin (in some ways, originally, a fake hero, summoned by the Caster of this Holy Grail War) and Rider, two more servants of the evil villain, and we met the evil villain himself…herself. Evil villainess herself. Was that expected?_

 _Anya Chovos is an out-of-nowhere character I made up with a few bases, including Ilyasviel, the cute but creepy little girl from Fate/Stay Night. I even played with the idea of having Shirô meet her alone in town and befriend her, then introduce the added drama of her turning out to be an evil enemy, à la Ilyasviel. However, I probably didn't have enough time for that in this minor mini-arc, so I just showed Shirô's growing abilities in super-fast forward and then had the evil villainess drop into declare the end game. Next chapter will wrap this little mini scenario up, and I'll get to Anya a bit more, since she's going to explain a lot herself before it's over. Now some real heroes have shown up to help Shirô take care of this horror…and we'll get to all that next chapter, too, so let's get on with it already._


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Five: Victory in Fuyuki City

Rin lay on the floor, in the midst of the magic circle. She was paralyzed, her body almost entirely unresponsive. Her mind worked well enough, but the only thing she could move was her head, and even that was sluggish and heavy. Her mouth labored to utter the words as she spoke to her captor. "What…are you planning to do with me?"

"Well, that depends," Anya replied cheerfully. "You are just bait, mostly, a bit of insurance, but you can prove quite useful to me. If Emiya Shirô will submit to me, I will allow you to live. If not, your life and magical energy will prove quite useful towards unsealing my cursed form."

"Cursed…form…? That child body…are you a sealed demon…like Alysaser…?"

"Ah, of course, you're from Mahora. So the rumors of that demon were true; even my best spies couldn't directly infiltrate those cursed grounds, but it was an interesting tale. No, I am quite human, even now…just something more than a mere mage. We have time, little Tôsaka Rin- _chan_ …would you like to learn about a real mage?

"I am several hundred years old. From the time I recognized my magical talent, I knew there was only one goal worth pursuing: eternal life. I slew my father and older brothers in order to take control of my noble mage family, and poured all of my considerable resources into researching the subject. There are actually myriad options for mages to extend their lives; our powerful magic tends to extend us naturally, but even so, in the grand scheme of things, 120 years are not much different than 60. There is one traditional, generally accepted means to do so: magical talent can very slowly, through advanced alchemy and extensive spells of healing nature, restore youth and halt aging, but it takes so much time and energy to follow that route, constantly brewing potions for nine months to reduce a year from your life or casting a spell of youth every few months, that it's hardly worth the effort. On its own, normal magic will never do more than that, and traditional magical theorists maintain that this is right—there is a reason our lives are finite, and effortless immortality would be more curse than blessing.

"In fact, most mages are too afraid to live forever. They don't have the proper mindset for it. Even elves, who can live practically forever, grow tired of life after five hundred years or so. People like me are rare…so obsessed with self and one's own self that nothing matters but continuing to live and enjoy the pleasures of this life.

"So I had to turn to unorthodox sources—forbidden magics beyond those normally wielded by mortals. Most 'righteous' wizards are so narrow-minded about immortality, and thus Celestial magic rarely offers solutions of that nature. It is to demons that most turn, as Infernals love to promise and grant wishes of that sort for their own benefit, and in the long run those who follow that route often rue their choices. And the race of vampires lives on today as a testament to the terrible cost of trying to cheat the system by most means, including stealing Infernal power without the usual devil's bargain.

"In the end, I was forced to rely on an inconvenient but serviceable form of immortality…transferring my soul to another body, whenever I needed to in order to avoid dying. This system is hardly perfect—every generation my body continues to age, so I have to find a husband or lover, rear a daughter, raise her, and transfer my soul into her when she comes of age, thus serving as the head of this family in perpetuity, a secret I admittedly relish. Even I am growing tired of this round, and after so many centuries I've grown desperate enough to attach a little more risk to my efforts.

"I have researched a new spell, necromantic but not Infernal in nature, that will transfer a large portion of human life into lifeforce that I can use to invigorate my body. The largest problem with this method is that I must sacrifice a great many souls to give myself a mere few decades' worth of constant youth, and this attracts a great deal of attention. In today's world of constant information, it is a little more difficult to wipe out a hundred thousand humans without fear of being recognized or interfered with. Luckily for me, ten years ago the famed hero Kalan Lockeheart reappeared from obscurity in order to save his son, then vanished once again, and so the efforts of the Magic Council of Japan's Kanto region became focused on tracking down the wayward hero, leaving no attention to be paid to anything I did here. Thus Fuyuki City became the perfect place to conduct my little experiment."

"But…it didn't go as you planned," Rin managed. "Emiya Kiritsugu…would never be party to something like that…."

Anya actually laughed. "Too true. Enlisting him was a calculated risk that backfired far more than I believed it would. While the mages of Japan were distracted, enemies from my own home would notice my departure from my reclusive lifestyle and mark my flight across the world, so I needed a competent bodyguard, one that would not attract too much attention. I guessed he would oppose my plan if he found out what it was, but I didn't think that he would have the power to interfere even if he did learn of it. He protected me well enough, but just as I finished my ritual, something alerted him to its true purpose, and with a power I had not anticipated he disrupted it. He did not completely succeed in saving the city, of course, as you know; the spell backfired spectacularly, setting the whole city ablaze and causing that well-known disaster. The few local mages who were investigating my actions perished in the flames, and only Kiritsugu himself survived, thanks to that secret artifact he had obtained. I was cursed in the backlash, my power suspended for some time, and it has only recently returned to me. In addition, my body became like this—cursed with the status of a young teenager, one barely entering puberty, and I am confined to it like a prison, unable to transfer my soul to a new vessel. So, before I can resume my original plan, I need to unseal it. If Shirô will aid me, I should be able to undo it with his power; should that fail, I will have to make use of your life for that purpose instead…."

8-8-8

Shirô sat in the living room in a daze as his new visitors availed themselves of the amenities he offered; they may be forgiven for taking advantage of their landing point, for they had spent several days in Hueco Mundo without any readily available food or water—something they needed less in spiritual form in Hueco Mundo, but still keenly felt. While Iria and Aeli focused on cooking dinner, Kalan and Aiden discussed matters with their numb host.

"Kalan Lockeheart," Shirô murmured after the visitors had been introduced. "Tôsaka- _san_ spoke about you…she said you were a hero who saved the world of magic…."

"Tôsaka Rin?" Aiden demanded for confirmation. "So, she's gotten mixed up in this little debacle, huh? Why don't you tell us the whole story?"

Shirô did so, and the two adults listened attentively. "Very interesting," Kalan muttered. "Most Western mages don't risk messing with the mages of Japan, but this one found an opening."

"Analia Chovos," Aiden noted. "Head of the Chovos family. Not a great reputation, but the mistress of the Chovos family generally sticks to terrorizing her own holdings and rarely ventures outside of them. For something like this…sounds like a vain mage looking for immortality experiments. She's known as a master of magical spirits and binding spells. One of those who only avoids true Infernal magic because she's smart enough to be leery about the payback they involve."

Shirô stared at his knees, teeth gritted, face angry. "She has to be stopped. We can't let what happened to this city be repeated…and we have to save Tôsaka- _san_!"

Aiden shrugged. "Well, that's what we do…" he began nonchalantly, but Kalan had a calculating, serious stare on Shirô.

"Do you want to save that girl?" he asked their host bluntly. "Do you want to save this city…with your own hands?"

Shirô glanced up in surprise. "What do you mean? Of course I want to, but…."

"How important is this to you?" Kalan continued. "What does it really mean to you?"

Shirô stared a second longer, then looked at nothing as he considered the question and his feelings. "Ever since my father saved my life, I've felt it was borrowed. All I wanted was to be a 'hero of justice'…someone who could do the kinds of things that you are famous for. Of course I want to save this city…it's like a curse that's come because I asked for it…but…I don't need the glory and personal satisfaction, if it comes right down to it. I just…don't _ever_ want to see people die like that ever again. If there's any way to save this city, that's what I want…whether I am personally involved or not. But I will fight with every ounce of my being to save it, and I will sacrifice my life if that's what it takes. I…can't just sit back and hope that it goes better."

Kalan nodded. "Yes…there is 'glory' in being the one to save the day. There is satisfaction, and there are other rewards sometimes…but there are also pain, fatigue, heartache, and so much effort. That's what it means to be a 'hero'. Most people who dream of that 'profession' have no idea what they're asking for. But you've seen just what the worst can be…and your only goal is to prevent it from happening. Okay, then. You have some magical power, but you have no idea how to use it, especially in the way you need. After dinner, I'll start training you to use that power of yours, I'll train you to be a mage and a fighter…and then you can use those skills to save Tôsaka Rin and this city with your own hands."

Shirô stared up at Kalan in shock and almost anger. "Train me…? But, we don't possibly have time for that! That girl could kill Tôsaka and destroy this city at any moment! What could I learn in a few minutes or hours that would make a difference?"

Kalan chuckled. "Trust me," he replied. "There's no need to worry. Time is the least of our concerns. We have all the time in the world."

8-8-8

Shortly after, Aeli and Iria brought their prepared meal out, and Shirô wolfed it down in short order, eager to get started. Kalan finished his own swiftly but without hurry, then rose and beckoned his new young charge follow him outside.

It was nearly noon; because of the hour, it was more like a very expansive lunch, but because of their lack of eating, Kalan and his companions could think of it as nothing but a long-awaited dinner. Kalan put such thoughts aside and drew his short sword as Shirô followed him out.

Shirô stared in surprise as Kalan stopped and turned back to him, flipping the blade into a reverse grip and raising it up as if to present it to the young man. "Well, then—let's get started. _Bankai_. Kami no Yume."

Suddenly the world became a new, surreal scene, and Kalan and Shirô were standing on the pinnacle of the keep of a great, marvelous castle, one whose walls encompassed an entire city laying across the hilly landscape below them. Beautiful, vividly-real forests stretched out beyond those walls, filling the horizon all around them, past the river that served as a moat for the whole city and the green grasslands that lay beyond that. Shirô gazed around in shock. "What…is this…?" he murmured.

"A dream," Kalan replied. "This is my sword's true power, to create sub-realities—'dreams' for short. This world is a place that we can train freely. Within the dreams I create, the laws of reality are dictated by my whim and abilities. With the power I have, I can compress time within this realm about 720 times…in other words, if we experienced a month's worth of time in this realm, only an hour would pass in the real world. That's why I told you not to worry about time.

"Based on what you've told us and what we've been able to pick up ourselves since our arrival, the girl 'Anya' is likely going to prepare a new ritual to sacrifice Tôsaka Rin's life, and most likely she'll consummate it at midnight, an hour when Necromantic spells tend to be strongest. If we train for ten hours, we'll still have an hour to an hour-and-a-half to track down her lair and defeat her…and finding her lair won't be a problem with the scope and type of spell she's using."

Shirô stared at Kalan. "Ten months? We can really…train that long…in one day?"

"Yes. If you can stand it." Kalan smiled slightly, then turned away. "Follow me; we'll need a good location to do our training. The first thing we're going to do is teach you about proper magic."

He started down the stairs at the far end of the parapet and exposited to Shirô the basics that had been skipped in his education while they traveled.

"Magic generally refers to the 'art' of using mana to achieve seemingly miraculous effects. Everything starts with mana—like light, which has baffled scientists for centuries because of its odd and unique properties, mana seems to be an energy source that is expended, and a gas-like matter that pervades existence, and it also seems to be at least vaguely sentient. Mana essentially exists in a higher dimension, one that theoretical physicists have hypothesized but not actually proven or discovered, so without the use of magic it is essentially undetectable; however, it exists everywhere in our world, and every living creature produces at least a small amount of mana. Like other types of energy and matter, mana has different 'poles', properties, and characteristics. The bulk of mana in our world seeps in from a dimension of mana, the 'magical plane', a sub-universe located very close to us by some measurements but a half-step away in other dimensions of measurement. This mana is the most sentient of all the types, and is attracted to creatures that produce larger amounts of mana.

"Mana is also produced by living creatures, in small amounts, by 'mana organs' that once again exist in this higher dimension and are therefore undetectable by normal scientific means. The use of magic—the casting of spells—is accomplished by drawing the mana that fills this world into ourselves, attaching it to the mana we have, and then commanding or persuading it to take a particular form or perform a particular action through our psychic manipulations. Because mana out there is sentient, it is attracted to particular rituals and even particular objects; thus magic is usually worked with specific gestures, words, and items like wands. As a mage's 'magical awareness', or 'magery' grows, and he masters specific 'spells', he can perform his abilities with less effort, as the mana will be drawn to the desires of his mind as he focuses them.

"Your particular method of spell-casting is rather unique and inefficient, useful for simple secretive magic but almost worthless if you want to fight. Your father taught you to 'create' a magic circuit within yourself and then channel your spell through that artificial wire. But we all have magical circuits—the mana from without is drawn into us through our magic slots, travels through our magical circuits, meets our personal mana, is transformed into the desired spell, sent back through the circuits and then expelled again through those magic slots. Your method of spell-casting is a ritualized spell all its own, creating a copy of a magical circuit out of mana within your body, and directly forcing all nearby mana into that circuit. It allows you to work novice magic without word or gesture, so you can cast in secret, but it's lengthy and not at all mana-efficient. The mana we expend requires effort, and causes us to tire; and so you wear yourself out much more quickly like that. So the first thing you'll need to learn is how to cast properly."

They arrived in a basement, a huge, seemingly empty expanse not far different from Kisuke's training grounds. Shirô, having never experienced such a wonder, found the expanse mind-boggling, unable to comprehend how such a space could exist under this castle at which they had just arrived. Kalan turned to Shirô and the boy's attention returned to him, just as Kalan's companions appeared, coming down the stairs that they themselves had just finished using. "You'll need to learn more than that, of course—spells for combat, fighting in general and, most especially, how to use your natural magic…not to mention the artifact you carry inside of you."

"Artifact…?"

"Did you wonder how we suddenly arrived?" Kalan demanded to counter the question. "I was drawn to you. I can sense that thing inside of you quite easily, since I also carried it once. We just came from Hueco Mundo, a 'realm of evil spirits', to put it mildly, although the 'evil spirits' we encountered there weren't so bad."

(In fact, Kalan's mission had been surprisingly peaceful—some aggressive Hollows attacked, but it was mostly out of spite, and more powerful leaders arrived to put an end to the fighting and parlay with the group almost immediately. The only powerful arrancar left were the three 'former Espada' that had been fought by Fairy Tail, Grimmjow, and Harribel and her fracciónes, and Harribel had reluctantly taken up the role of 'ruling' Hueco Mundo. Nagi had organized a world of solitude, fear, and hatred into his own personal army camp, with the greater arrancar set up to rule over them like a disorderly army from Las Noches, and now that he was gone, their natural recourse was to fall into that pattern once again. Harribel strove to retain the peace, at least amongst the more powerful arrancar, and thus was now the Queen of Hueco Mundo. Upon learning that Kalan was not leading an invasion force but was rather on a fact-finding mission, she assured him that she had no more reason to attack Earth or any other worlds, and would try to keep what intelligent hollows that listened to her in line as well, keep them from trouble or war. She could not guarantee complete peace, of course—hollows were naturally bloodthirsty, maddened souls, who could only continue existing by eating souls. The more evolved ones regained their reason and intelligence, and those which became arrancar could subsist on human food or whatever spiritual equivalent they were able to cook up in Hueco Mundo, but there was no way to keep all the lower hollows from following their appetites and desires. Still, her actions and assurances were enough to convince Kalan that another dangerous war was not forthcoming from that realm, and he was able to construct the gate back to Earth swiftly and without trouble.)

He continued to Shirô, "On our way home, I sensed something familiar and changed my course—and what I sensed was the power within you. You carry the scabbard of Excalibur, a powerful magical artifact, within your body, and with its full power activated, it has rendered you almost immortal. As I said, I had it once, too; our group, the Red Wings, found it while adventuring one day, to make a very long story short, and its rightful inheritor kept it for most of the time after, but at our final battle, it was entrusted to me. It was an artifact so powerful, that had endured so much, that it was already halfway between physical substance and magical essence; I absorbed it into myself and used the last of its power to help me defeat the Obsidian Prince. Thus exhausted, its remaining essence must have gone to the Throne of Heroes, and Emiya Kiritsugu then found it, reconstituted, at some later point."

Kalan pointed meaningfully at his young charge. "And Emiya Kiritsugu then used that item to save your life, placing it inside of you. It has…warped you, in some ways, in ways that I suppose should be considered fortunate. You likely didn't have a lot of magical power or presence before, but now, the mana of that artifact has changed you. You have magical reserves that are beyond what most humans can manage, and natural abilities that must be difficult for you to even understand. It's no wonder that, with your limited experience with magic, you've been at such a loss. But as I said before, I can teach you to use those abilities. I will train you so that you can rescue that girl and save this town yourself. Are you ready to be a Hero of Justice, Emiya Shirô?"

Shirô's face went from perplexity to healthy resolve. He had been largely baffled by all of Kalan's talk, barely understanding any of it, but this was simple enough…it was nothing more than his absolute will. "Of course. I'll do anything I have to. Please teach me!"

8-8-8

Anya sat in a chair, her head turned to the window, chin on her fist, gazing out at the bright moon in the sky. "…It's almost time. Shirô is certainly late. One way or another, I was certain he would have come by now. Is he trying to seem more heroic by arriving 'in the nick of time'?" She glanced over at Rin and smiled. "Well, he better hurry. If I can't for sure make use of him, you'll have to do; and the time to do that is fast approaching. It'd be a shame if you never got to meet again, eh?"

Rin didn't reply, lying still, her eyes closed. Anya wasn't even sure if the suppressive magic had finally taken its toll, and Rin was unconscious, or she simply was stubbornly refusing to respond or rise to Anya's baiting. The seeming-girl shrugged. It didn't matter either way. One way or another, she would get what she wanted….

"My master," rasped a chilling, undulating voice as a shadow formed into a coherent shape. "We have intruders approaching."

Anya glanced over, and the robed figure with the grotesque, overly-huge and misplaced eyes extended both hands, cupped around a crystal orb about the size of a basketball. Within the crystal an image showed Kalan, Aiden, Iria, Aeli and Shirô all approaching the mansion. "Well, well, well…he comes at last, and with help, too. Really, Kalan Lockeheart himself? I've been hearing interesting rumors about that young man lately, and they might be true. This will certainly be something else; I have never seen a mage as young as he is with such power. But there's no turning back now. All I can do is trust my own powers will buy me time until all is ready. Caster. Berserker. Lancer. Fencer." Three humanoids materialized around her. "Go entertain our guests. I'm sure they'll be eager to play with you. Don't let them enter alive, save the boy. We'll have a special reception for him." The figures bowed, then vanished. Anya turned a wide smile on another shadow by a doorway behind her. "You'll be the doorman to greet dear Shirô, won't you…my lovely Archer…?"

8-8-8

The five stared at the mansion, surrounded by its wide gate, dark and foreboding. Despite the clarity of this cloudless night, there seemed to be a dark haze hanging over the manor. Shirô barely resisted a shiver. "And…they're here?" he murmured.

"Absolutely," Aiden assured him. "I have connections that know things like offshore holdings of major mage families. And from the feeling inside, there's no doubt; not to mention my spell following Rin leads right inside."

Kalan stretched his neck from side to side. "Hmm…yeah, that's actually quite some magic. I guess I should expect as much from a mage like her. She's an immortal mage. Were you aware of that, Aiden?"

"You're so sure? What, do you smell it or something? Well, I heard rumors about it. Even for a mage family, to have such a perfect succession of nearly identical heads, with such identical talents and magic…and her reclusive nature. That's the whole business here…she's been trying to use this city for an even bigger immortality ritual."

"Whether she's a decade old, or centuries old, it makes no difference to us," Iria pointed out. "We have to stop her either way. Even if she has accumulated magical power all this time, I doubt she has the power to stand against the Red Wings, right?"

"Well, maybe," Aeli giggled. "But she's going to try; she's employed magical spirits in warrior form, and has sent them out to greet us."

"I sense them too," Kalan agreed. "There are four heading our way. We'll each take one, and let Shirô go after the mastermind; it's his business first, after all. You can handle it, can't you, Shirô?"

Shirô's face was resolute, his posture rigid and strong as he stood ahead of his _sempai_ and stared at the manor. "Of course. This is what I trained for. I won't lose now. It would be too much a waste."

Kalan nodded. "Do your best, then. That girl is counting on you…and so is this city."

The five leapt into action, the four adults spreading out to engage separate targets, and Shirô running straight towards the manor's front door….

8-8-8

Kalan slowed and walked more steadily past some trees to a grove that was almost like a draw for the moonlight above. He stopped, then turned around as Lancer stepped out from behind a tree. "So, you're the strongest, aren't you?" Lancer teased, smiling viciously. "I can feel it. I heard stories, too. Some sort of great war-mage?" He assumed a battle stance, deadly spear at the ready. "This will be…a truly marvelous battle."

"I don't know about marvelous," Kalan denied, drawing his sword. "But you seem interesting enough. You have a good amount of power for someone who's not even a Heroic Spirit; that old woman really does know some good tricks. Even so, you're not nearly my level, but I'll let you entertain me for a while. It wouldn't do to show up a kid like that in his moment of glory. He reminds me of Kain too much."

Lancer's smile increased in ferocity. "Heh…not at your level, you say? Maybe so…but we'll settle that notion the old-fashioned, reliable way!" And he charged in.

8-8-8

Aiden slowed and stopped as he beheld the blue-robed figure in his way, the too-lean and bony hands, the bulbous, malproportioned face…the strange book now clutched in those hands. He glanced askew at his impediment. "…You don't look like the sort who'd want to meet me in a stand-up fight. Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am a Caster," the robed figure rasped. "True, I am not a fighter…but I am enough to be your doom, and have no need to hide myself." He opened the book, and there was a rending of magical energy. Out of a rift that rose from the book, a tentacular monster emerged, an indescribable amalgamation of pseudopods, teeth, mouths, and eyes from the nightmares of the deranged. It gave an inhuman roar, something that was not sound but the audible rending of souls.

Aiden cocked an eyebrow at it. "Ah? Cthulhu, or something like that? Okay, that's interesting." He raised a gun towards his antagonist. "I think I caught something I can have a little fun with."

8-8-8

Iria also slowed and stopped her advance as she felt the presence approaching. Then she whirled, throwing a hand up, and the earth around her rose up in response and flashed hard as the blade came streaking in and connected with it.

Repelled, the swordsman flew backwards, spun in the air, and landed gracefully some distance away. He was a handsome man, tall and well-built, with curly dark hair and dressed in a hard sleeveless armor-like shirt and dark slacks, wielding a pair of simple, straight and short-bladed swords. He smiled almost wickedly at Iria, and the mole just under the end of his left eye almost seemed to flash. "Ah, how unfortunate for you…being a woman…."

Iria stared back, feeling the pull of magic, but shook her right wrist and presented it—and the silver amulet that adorned it—to the spirit. "Natural charm magic, huh? That's unfair…but my husband and I were treasure-hunters and magic collectors. This trinket helps me resist enchantments like that."

"Oh, how nice. That will make this more interesting. Also, impressive defense. You're an Earth-Element mage?"

"Not exactly," Iria denied. She slapped her palms together, then spread her hands out, and a magic circle of detailed, exotic design wrote itself out on the ground around her, its lines and runes blazing. Crystals suddenly grew out of the earth around her like blossoms, then exploded, sending shards of jagged, glittering stone towards the swordsman.

The man leapt backward again, skillfully deflecting and dodging every missile. When the attack ceased, he landed gracefully once again and still flashed his smile Iria's way. "Ah, that design…Transmutation, then. What a rare and quaint art that is. You're skilled with it, but you can't believe it's enough to defeat a magical spirit like me, a warrior like Fencer."

"Don't underestimate my 'art'," Iria replied. "It's a good word for what I do, since Transmutation has so many uses beyond combat; and perhaps there are magics better suited for battle, but it's my talent, the skill of my family, and I've learned to make good use of it over the years. I couldn't have held my own alongside Aiden Rylack, premier adventurer, if my art wasn't capable of holding its own in the harshest of combats." She put her hands to the ground, and the magic circle suddenly expanded, stretching its lines out to paint the ground around them as far as the eye could see. The feel of mana in the air intensified and became almost heavy. Iria rose and stretched out a hand. "It's been a long time since I've had to use my power to the extent that will be required to fight you; but if it's just you, nothing's going to interfere with what I can do. This whole battlefield of ours is becoming my territory, now."

Fencer simply chuckled. "Well, then…at least it will be interesting." He raised his swords and charged in.

8-8-8

Like Aiden, Aeli's opponent was standing in her path. It was a dark figure, a suit of black armor with darkness rising from its cracks and seams, a visible dark vapor of corrupted mana. As Aeli stopped, hesitating at the sight of it, it raised its bowed head and red light glowed and flashed from within the visor. With an inaudible roar felt in the bones, it crouched down, preparing to spring.

Aeli pulled her contract card and leveled her magical bow at the beast. "A Berserker spirit, eh?" she murmured, mostly to herself. "How tragic; I, who prefer to settle disputes with words, pitted against one who cannot speak, but only fight madly. Well, the pain of your rage troubles me, spirit. I'll devote all my power to ending your existence on this world so you can be freed to return home."

The monster gave another roar, and charged in. Aeli released the magical arrow she held.

8-8-8

Nothing stood in Shirô's way as he pounded towards the manor. Nothing…until he stopped short just before it, not ten feet away, stopping before the figure that suddenly materialized. The figure he recognized. Red coat, black armor, white hair…Archer raised his head and stared at Shirô, and a somewhat evil smile crept over his face.

"Archer…" Shirô murmured. "You…are really standing in my way…? Are you protecting Anya- _san_? Your will…has been taken over by her?"

"My will?" Archer laughed, shortly, then in longer breaths, softly, then more loudly. "What does a brat like you understand about my will, Emiya Shirô? Do you presume to think that a mere human mage besides my true master could truly order me about in such a way?"

"Then, let me past!" Shirô insisted. "Or better yet, help me! Your master, Tôsaka- _san_ , is in there, Anya- _san_ 's prisoner, isn't she!? Shouldn't you help me rescue her!? If you have any free will of your own left, we should…!"

"Help you, Emiya Shirô? Are you mad? Whatever reason would I have for helping you?" Archer finally turned his full gaze on Shirô, met his eyes, and Shirô saw a strange fierceness there, a genuine anger and hate…and what was worse, it was not a madness, but the chilling horror of true sanity and clarity. "You are my mortal enemy, Emiya Shirô, the reason I exist…or rather, the only reason I exist is to ensure your death."

This took the young man aback. He had been expecting battle, he was ready for anything…but while Archer had not exactly been kind to him, he couldn't imagine that the spirit could possibly prioritize Shirô's death over Rin's safety. "W-what? Archer, you cannot…why me…? I thought…Tôsaka- _san_ said you didn't even remember anything about your history, but even so, how could I…?"

"You are everything in my history. You _are_ my history. It's true, I lost my memory when Rin summoned me…partly through her mistake, and partly because my entire existence _is_ a mistake. But now, after all I've gone through, and after meeting you, I've remembered. I know who and what I really am, fully and entirely, and what I came here to do. All Heroic Spirits, unlike the artificial souls created by this mage you've been fighting, are the remains of great mages and magical heroes from Earth and Arcanus Myrror, or perhaps even the other worlds. All were warriors who were known in some tale or other. The name I had in life…was Emiya Shirô."

As Shirô's eyes widened even further, threatening to consume his entire head, Archer continued, "I was a young man trained in magic, who received a most excellent tutor and true baptism in that world just at the right time to be a 'hero of justice'. With magic spreading and new worlds emerging before our influence, there was plenty of the great work I desired to perform, needing to be done. I traveled far, an apprentice of the Red Wings, a young man carrying on their legacy, zealously seeking to save all the lives I could. In time, I even obtained what I thought was the ultimate power…a wish-granting magic that would make my fondest dreams come true. I wished…that I could be the ultimate Hero of Justice, a man who could endlessly fight evil and save lives."

Archer smiled bitterly. "As young and foolish as I was, I did not realize the price magical wishes of that power require. I did not realize how inherently cruel and evil they are. My wish was granted…I grew in power, such that I could battle all evils across the worlds. But by my wish I created more evil—for a hero must have evil to vanquish. My first curse was that I could never fully vanquish evil, for my very wish was that I could continue being a hero, and a hero needs an evil to vanquish. My second curse was that for every life I was able to save, there was a life that slipped beyond my grasp. My determination turned to despair and despondence, such that I could not even blame my former allies who, afraid of me and my power, eventually betrayed and killed me. But on my death, I made a pact with magic itself, with the magical plane, and became something new. Not a true Heroic Spirit; else even with the strange circumstances around it Rin could not summon me from the Throne of Heroes. Rather, I became what some ancient mages called a Counter-Guardian, a spiritual magic creature bound to find and destroy aberrations that threaten the balance of existence. For this cause I was pulled into the battle with the Obsidian Star, and became Rin's 'Heroic Spirit'. But in return for my service, I was able to make one final wish; and my wish is that I could truly cease to exist, that my mistakes could be wiped from existence. And this is my chance; by killing you, I will prevent that mistake from ever having been made, and we will end.

"Yes, I hate you, Emiya Shirô, as you can feel; because I hate myself. I hate how naïve and foolish I was, and when I see you, I see that weakness in full. That senseless optimism and hope that led me to my cursed state. It is everything I despise. I have learned just how terrible and cruel the world, life, magic…how all of it truly is. You cannot possibly understand. But do not fear; because I will kill you here, you will never learn as I have. You will die in your innocent, pristine state."

Then the world changed. The sky became red, with dark gears churning in the air all over the sky and horizon. Swords dotted the landscape. Shirô gazed around in wonder. "But…this is…." Then he turned back to Archer, his face serious and contemplative. "I see. So it's really…." Then he shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. Your past, my possible future, that has nothing to do with the here and now. Yes, I'm naïve and foolish, and I freely admit it. If I've learned nothing else since I met Tôsaka, I learned that. But that doesn't change this moment, this event. Anya- _san_ plans to kill Tôsaka, and everyone in this town as part of her dark arts. I won't allow that to happen, and I won't let anyone stand in my way…certainly not 'myself'." The white and black swords materialized in his hands, and he readied himself.

Archer's smile grew colder and crueler. "Heh. Let's see." He materialized his own copies of the twin blades and advanced swiftly.

The four swords clashed and clanged as the two swordsmen dueled. "Well! You're much better than you were yesterday!" Archer commented. "Yes, Kalan- _sensei_ trained you well, didn't he? But do you think even several months of rushed training would match my lifetimes of experience…beyond that same training I _also_ had!?" To accentuate his point, he feinted, then reacted faster than Shirô could respond, kneeing him in the stomach and then kicking him away with his opposite foot. He threw his two swords at Shirô, and as the boy desperately tried to recover and deflect the whirling blades, Archer pulled a pair of swords from the ground around him and charged in after.

Archer scored a double strike from his attack, and Shirô reeled backward, blood fountaining from the wounds in his chest as he gasped in pain. Then he set himself and repelled Archer's next attack, swiftly turning from pain to anger. "So you've trained harder than me…so what!?" Shirô shot back. "What does it matter if you're stronger than me, if you're more powerful than I am!? I'll keep fighting for the right thing until I die! Even if you kill me, I won't give up! No matter how many times you knock me down, no matter how wounded I get, I won't stop until I've saved her!

"You followed that path until you ended up in despair? I don't care! It has nothing to do with me, with the here and now! I will walk my own path, and make my own mistakes, not yours! And now, if you're standing in my way, I'll end your destiny of despair with my own hands!"

He threw Archer back and began to chant, continuing to battle as he intoned the words.

"Crane wings (Spirit and technique), without opening (flawless and firm), Spirt and technique (Strength), reaching the mountain (pierce the mountain!), Spirit and technique (Sword), crossing the Yellow River (split the water), Name (Fame), ending in a different heaven (reaching the imperial villa), Two Rivals (We), sharing a life (cannot embrace heavens together)."

Kalan had not taught him the technique—Kalan had taught him nothing but the basics of magic and spellcasting, how to properly channel his own energy, and all he could teach him in that short time about swordplay and martial arts. He had left Shirô to feel out his own unique powers and abilities, and he had developed his new powers by instinct and feeling. Even as he fought, he considered with awe the implication and realization of those instinctive abilities, and how they were tied to this man in front of him. In the short time he had had with the two of them, both Rin and Archer had impressed Shirô, and Archer, as the greatest warrior example he'd had in his young life, became the pinnacle he aspired to in his heart, and thus the first weapons he created by his Projection were the two swords Archer preferred, Kanshô and Bakuya. And now, these weapons and techniques he used, he had learned…it was he himself who had first presented them to himself. How did this strange cycle begin or end…?

Nevertheless, Shirô's instincts were focused on the battle as he performed the Triple-Linked Crane Wings he had developed. He threw his own two swords at Archer, aiming for his neck, and as Archer deflected them, he Projected another pair and charged in to attack. As he struck, first with Kanshô and then with Bakuya, the first pair of Bakuya and then Kanshô came back around in their separate flight to strike at Archer from behind. Archer managed to deflect all four of those attacks, but as his parries threw Shirô's two swords in his hands out wide, he released them and conjured a third pair, which he brought in with a decisive X-shaped slash across Archer's body, and all of this while chanting his spell to give power to his technique. Archer recoiled and staggered backward from the attack. He stood still, his head still cocked back as if he were gazing to the sky. Shirô stared at him, panting, and the three pairs of twin swords vanished in succession. Then Archer fell to his knees, and the Reality Marble around them shattered. They were back in front of the manor. Shirô surveyed the scene in surprise.

Archer fell backward slightly, ending up in a type of _seiza_ , and his head fell forward to bow, chin striking against his chest. "Well done," Archer murmured. "That is indeed…the kind of resolve I have lost over time…." He managed to glance up at Shirô as the boy turned to him. "Go on. She's waiting for you, isn't she? Save her…save Rin. That is your path…isn't it?"

Shirô stared at him for a moment, then nodded and turned back toward the building. He threw the door open and dashed inside, paying no further attention to the defeated spirit.

Archer stared after him just a moment, then turned to the new arrival as Aiden slowly approached. "You're the first?" Archer murmured. "I'm surprised."

"Hmm. Yeah, so am I," Aiden replied. "Counter-Guardian, huh? I always knew there was something off about you." He gazed after the departed youth. "Still…you pushed him, but you didn't go all-out, did you? You let him win."

Archer chuckled. "That would not be true. I just did what I had to."

"You were serious? It didn't seem like it."

"My heart was in it. I was under the command of Anya Chovos, thanks to her Rule Breaker. The best way to resist…is not to resist. It will not strengthen its hold if it does not have to assert itself. My will was to kill Emiya Shirô…but that is not my only will. And that forced Emiya Shirô to do enough damage to me to break that control. I must be grateful to him, as loathe as I am to admit it."

"Heh." Aiden adjusted his hat. "Well, regardless, glad I showed up here first. Kalan might have been pissed enough at you to finish you off."

Archer chuckled again. "Yes, I am aware. Kalan Lockeheart…can truly be unforgiving to those who offend his code. But it does not matter. What matters…is the battle still to come. A representation of the new world Kain Lockeheart is guiding us to…the new generation against the legacy of the old magic ways…."

8-8-8

It wasn't hard for Shirô to find them—the unique magical senses he possessed had been honed and crafted by Kalan over the training he had given. He threw open the doors before the final room, a large somber chamber lit only by the light of the moon that poured through the open window off to the side. Rin lay in the back of the midst of the magical circle, still but fully clothed—obviously Analia Chovos had no reason to torment Rin in the fashion of 'standard' perverted villains. As for Analia herself, she knelt in the middle of the room, her hands clasped and her head bowed, as if in prayer. The moonlight shone upon her, illuminating her, creating a scene so serene and mystic that it brought Shirô up short.

Anya smiled and rose to her feet, opening her eyes and turning herself towards the young man. "You're rather naïve, Shirô. Just something like this is enough to shake you? I feel you hesitating. Even knowing what you do about me, even seeing what I've done, your heart is troubled over the thought of fighting me, and you wonder still if I'm really capable of being the villain you're telling yourself that I am. You can't possibly hope to triumph over me, to defeat me when your will is so fragile. If you want to gain anything, it is only through appealing to me directly."

Shirô steeled his resolve and shook his head, then crossed his swords in front of him. "No. I will stop you. No matter what it takes, I won't let you harm Tôsaka, or the people of this town."

Anya's smile quirked even deeper for just a moment. "Hmm. So you say. Well, child, come on and try, then. I can tell you are more powerful than when we last met. Kalan Lockeheart must have taken some particular care in training you…he must have used some kind of time magic to train you so much in such a short time. But even if he gave you a year, it's not nearly enough. Even if you have that mysterious power and unique skills, you can't possibly think that it will be enough to stop me, a mage who has ruled for hundreds of years. To me, you're an infant, a child learning to walk…no matter what you try, you won't reach me."

Shirô just gave a battle cry and charged in. He leapt into the air and dived in with a savage slash, and Anya dodged aside almost too easily. He rounded on her, but she continued her retreat, casually avoiding each vicious strike. "Well, I will commend you," she offered. "You surpassed the resolve I thought you capable of; you can ignore the fact that I'm but a girl and attack me as an enemy. But attacks like those aren't enough." She suddenly blocked Shirô's latest strike with a mana blade that sprouted from her hand, and then repelled the surprised young man. She leapt in with a savage slash of her own, which Shirô deflected, and then suddenly blades of mana began to appear in the air around her, flashing forth in succession to attack Shirô.

The boy retreated, striking down each blade in turn, until suddenly his feet rooted to the spot, unable to move. Those energy-swords sprouted from the floor in a circle around his, rising ponderously and threateningly up to eye level, and a similar circle of the weapons appeared high in the air over his head. Still with that lazy danger, they all turned their points towards him simultaneously and then descended in a flash.

And were met by another flash, as each blade was stopped by a similar, seemingly real blade that manifested in defense of the young man. Anya's eyes widened in shock as the blades all, energy and solid, fell aside and vanished away. "That is…true Projection…so many at once…that means…."

Shirô, his feet freed, turned carefully to fully face Anya, his face a still and stoic mask. He closed his eyes and began to chant quietly.

"I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades. Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain, I have withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for One's arrival. I have no regrets. This is the only path. My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works."

The world warped, into a glorious new scene. Unlike the dark and almost gothic scene of sky-bound gears in the version of the ability used by Archer, the world Shirô created was a wide plain of rolling hills and tall grass, lit by an eternally-setting sun. Swords still dotted the landscape, most in close proximity to Shirô.

"I see," Anya murmured, her eyes shining. "Even more than I expected. So, this is your real power, your true self; this is your Reality Marble. The highest level of thaumaturgy, embodying your inner world and essence and imprinting it upon the material plane, a magic so high-level that no mortal human could possibly have a magical presence high enough to cast it from his own self. Only superhuman creatures, like Infernals and Celestials, can do that; otherwise, you'd need an artifact. I guess technically that's the case for you, isn't it? This is your power; 'Sword' is your Origin and your Elemental Affinity, and unlike most whose soul consists of that power, you did not gain a single sword, but you truly are a sword yourself. The absorbtion of Excalibur's scabbard mutated you, unleashing this mighty magical power—and perhaps that's what you actually are, a scabbard for any number of swords, of every sword.

"And that explains why you fascinated me so; we share more of a connection than I realized. This power of yours is not so far from my own. You do not Conjure weapons, but Project them, calling them forth from this Reality Marble; after seeing a weapon, you are able to copy its essence and store it here, then bring it out at need." She smiled. "Yes, I underestimated you. Even a great mage would be unable to stand up to a power of this caliber. But like you, I do not 'Conjure' or Summon Servants, fashioning inferior warriors out of magic or making contracts with powers above. I Project my own Servants to do my bidding." Suddenly around her forms began to materialize; some of them were recognizable, including the Rider, Assassin, and Lancer Shirô had encountered previously.

Shirô had been silent and still this whole time; as the Projected Servants began to ready themselves to charge, however, he suddenly leapt into action, dashing forward with two longswords that materialized in his hands.

The exchange turned into a blindingly fast action sequence, as Servants swooped in to battle Shirô, and he cut them down swiftly and without remorse. His blades were lost after a few exchanges, but more always appeared in his hands to replace them. The unspoken rule Anya had not mentioned in her attempt to intimidate the boy was that while she could Project warriors of power superior to 'ordinary' magical conjurations, rapidly Projected warriors like this, with no time or energy sufficiently donated to the spell, were not as powerful as those he had fought before, and after all his training, they were no match for him. He advanced, his movements lightning-quick but his overall progress slow as the minions moved in one after another to oppose him, only to be cut down.

Anya was chanting all the while, however, and as Shirô cut down the last foe that stood between them and lunged forward with a large two-handed sword to finally strike her down, a barrier flashed in front of him, and the collision raised a cloud of sparking energy. He could feel the power of this field, how it not only protected Anya, but was even threatening to draw in and pull away all his own mana. The sword in his hand shattered, and Anya raised a hand in triumph….

Shirô gave a guttural cry and raised a hand, and a beautiful golden sword appeared in it…Excalibur. The sword collided with the field, creating an even bigger mist of straining power, and as Anya's eyes widened in shock, he raised his other hand, and a second sword, nearly Excalibur's twin but with a great silver blade, appeared in that hand.

"Impossible!" Anya cried. "A holy sword like Excalibur should be impossible to project…but that, too!? The original sword of Arthur, the Sword in the Stone, which broke…Caliburn!"

Although its legend was equally impressive, Caliburn was actually not even as powerful as Excalibur was, being a king's sword, a decorative symbol that signified Arthur's legitimacy but paid for its dazzling appearance with lesser practical enchantments; hence the reason it broke in the first place. But with Excalibur, its sister sword, created specifically to be Arthur's sword of war, on hand, the two swords worked together to create an even greater power. Together they shattered Anya's shield, and tore into her with an X-shaped slash. She cried out and fell on her face, lying still.

The two blades in Shirô's hands shattered and faded away into nothing, and then the Reality Marble faded, leaving them once again in Anya's mansion. Shirô swayed, just stopped his staggering, and coughed up some blood. He finally managed to steady himself, and turned towards Rin.

The girl managed to open her eyes and glance up at him as he approached. "You idiot," she muttered. "What did you come for? You couldn't…believe you'd win…."

"That doesn't matter," Shirô replied. He wasn't the type to point out that such speculation was pointless, since he _had_ won. Instead he said, "I had to win. Now…it's all over…."

"Is it?" murmured Anya from behind him, and as he turned around in shock, she surged to her knees. Dark, malevolent energy poured out in a palpable stream, filling the chamber. "You've beaten me…you've driven me, who should have lived beautifully forever, to death's door. But if I die, I'll take all of you with me to Hell with the power I've gathered…!"

Then an arrow of light suddenly pierced her chest, and she gasped out as the power was snuffed as quickly as it had come. Shirô stared at the interloper as Anya fell to the ground once again and remained completely still. "Archer…!"

Rin smiled as she struggled to sit up, the magical bond on her weakening. "You fool…you just have to play around with that last-minute timing, don't you? Some Servant you are."

Archer smiled grimly, almost sadly. "Yes…I'm sorry, Rin. I failed you completely. I'm an incompetent Servant, whose own desires and prejudices put you in danger. I had to rely on the one I despised to save you. My acts are unconscionable…and my service to you…."

"Your service to me continues," Rin insisted, managed to force herself to her feet and, despite the weakness still evident in her body, assume her most authoritative and arrogant posture. "Don't think this lapse will allow you to weasel out of it." As Archer glanced up at her, painful protest obviously on his lips, she silenced him with an accusing finger. "Enough. I know about it, you know. Who and what you really are. I was waiting a long time for you idiots to rescue me, and Analia Chovos- _san_ was incredibly talkative. That doesn't matter. You're the spirit I summoned, whatever you are, and until I release you from my service, you do as I say. That time hasn't come yet. I need you, Archer; and that's who you'll remain, as long as I do. Or do I need to use another Command Seal to get you to accept it?"

Archer finally smiled. The 'Command Seals' were tattoo-like magical images imprinted into a mage's flesh at the time of contracting Heroic Spirits, allowing them to force compliance with their commands in extreme circumstances. They were given three of them, and Rin had already used one. It was a moment known only to Rin and Archer; after the initial summoning, as Archer chided her on her mistake in summoning him and teased her for it, she grew incensed and commanded him to 'cease his prattling' and submit with total obedience to her will. Such a wide-ranging command could not actually be enforced—if it could, the point of three seals would be useless in any case—but Rin's magical power did force Archer to silence and imbue a kind of subconscious reverence towards the girl, at the cost of her Command Seal. Archer recognized the power Rin possessed to even temporarily and in a rather weak fashion force such compliance, and he had actually been impressed, and resolved to respect Rin from that event. Because of this, while Shirô was lost at the meaning of the exchange, Archer chuckled. "No. I do not need to have that reminder. If you know everything and still do not object to my service, then I will continue to follow you, my Master." He gave a more respectful bow from his kneeling position.

Rin nodded and turned to Shirô. "Well," she began, then reddened slightly and looked away suddenly, not meeting his eyes. "I…guess I owe you my thanks…you did save me. You've put an end to this problem at the same time, so don't think that saving me will make me forgive you for stealing my thunder in doing _my_ job here…."

"What a _tsundere_!" Aiden called from the door, where the four adults observed the scene. "Why don't you give him a proper reward, like a kiss or something?"

The two youths started and reddened furiously, eyes wide as they stared at the intruder. "A-Aiden Rylack!" Rin managed. "What are you doing here!?"

"We were just in the neighborhood and stopped by," Aiden continued. "In any case, I'd rather not linger around here. I really think we ought to go home and celebrate, and let an 'accident' take care of this little bit of architecture…."

Iria slapped her hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "Hmm…I'm good at these kinds of 'accidents'…."

"Please wait until we get home, at least," Aeli pleaded.

8-8-8

The seven of them returned to their base of operations in the city, which was, of course, Shirô's home. At least it was large enough to generously house them all and let them celebrate their achievement…and discuss their future plans.

"Transfer to Mahora Academy?" Shirô demanded in surprise as the invitation was given.

"That's a rather interesting proposal," Rin commented. "What brought this on?"

"Well, it's pretty simple," Kalan replied. "I'm going back to Mahora now; and I'd like to take Shirô with me, as my permanent apprentice."

Aiden snorted. "That's pretty new. You've never even wanted an apprentice before."

Kalan shrugged. "Well, I was cheated out of being with my son for his formative years; I wouldn't call this a replacement, it shouldn't be considered that, but…it feels right. I think Shirô has a bright future in the world ahead, and I'd like to help him grow into it." He turned his attention back to the young man. "Of course, that's only if you want it. Your future is up to you. But I am quite earnest about my offer."

Shirô stared back at him placidly. "My dream…has always been to be a 'hero'…someone just like you," Shirô replied in all seriousness. "Of course, these last…few days…I've seen some realities I never knew existed before…after considering everything carefully…I still can't shake myself from that past. I have seen some harsh truths, but it doesn't change what I really believe. I will reconcile them all with what I've seen and learned, and what comes with the future. Following you as your apprentice…I believe that's the path in life that I desire most, that's best for me. I am more than happy to accept your offer. Thank you, Kalan- _sensei_."

The young man bowed, and Kalan waved for him to cease. Rin gave a small laugh of teasing derision. "Well, now, don't regret your decision," she said. "It's not going to be a picnic for you. Kalan- _san_ is returning to Mahora to help his son Kain- _sensei_ complete his project to peacefully integrate Earth and Arcanus Myrror. If you follow him, you're signing up for the long haul. Don't slack off, or drag them down, or you'll regret it."

Shirô turned a curious look her way. "Ah…and what is Tôsaka- _san_ planning to do now…?"

"Of course, I'm going back, too," Rin replied nonchalantly. "I only came here to investigate and stop the mysterious illegal magic in the city, and since that's been done, there's no reason to stay. I'll have my eye on you while we're there, so watch yourself."

"In other words, the young lady's excited to have the young knight in her court," Aiden said gleefully.

"W-why do you always have to turn things that way!?" Rin roared, red-faced.

The group laughed, then Aeli asked, "What about you, Aiden? Iria? Might you be joining us?"

"No, not before, not now," Aiden denied. "I've actually been doing a bit too much adventuring again recently, with everything that's happened. Right now I need to work on saving my marriage. See, as my wife pointed out before, I got a new lease on youth, and she's been left behind. So, I heard about a secluded Fountain of Youth in the Elven lands, and thought we might give her a sip to even the scales a little…."

Another laugh followed. "Normally, I'd warn you to be cautious with those kinds of tales and treasures," Kalan said. "But I know you'd never listen anyway. Besides, knowing you, you'll succeed. I'll be counting on you to watch Kain's descendants…."

"Oh, c'mon…I'm not the kind of guy who'd want to live _that_ long…."

The group continued their banter late into the night, four veteran heroes, two youths striving for the title, and one enigmatic Servant, watching them invisibly while considering the peace he'd found for his own immortal soul….

F I N

 _Author's Note: Heaven's Feel_

 _Another joke on Fate/Stay Night, Heaven's Feel is the third and most messed-up alternate storyline to the Fate universe. Anyway…._

 _I used a lot of Shirô's background for the base of what happened with him. The Fate universe is an incredibly, quite impressively-constructed magical background world, with history, technical analysis, and generally acceptable logic and reason behind a lot of its magical rules, terms, etc. The history of Arthur as a woman is something else, but the effort put into building that world was obviously immense._

 _I perhaps included too much detail on it, but it fascinates me that much. Anyway, I don't have a lot to say there. As I talked about earlier, Anya is just a villainess I made for this part, playing around with a few things as I tried to make a villain strong enough to make a mark here. While very arrogant, and quite skilled and learned after living so many centuries as a mage, she couldn't actually compete with the highest-caliber mages, i.e., any of the Red Wings, but she made a fine opponent for a pumped-up Shirô to fight. There's a bit more to his powers that I didn't explain, and a bit more to how I designed her powers to oppose/complement them, but in the end, they're both minor characters in this work, and I think I've spent enough time with them._

 _So, that's the end of this mini-arc. Back to Kain pretty much for the duration._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Six: The Sendô Legacy

Kain glanced around at the room he knew well: the top floor of the Student Council Building. There wasn't much new in it, but what was normally common there was the focus of his attention; the students that weren't at the moment, but could often be. "Are you sure this is the right place for all of this?" Kain demanded of the room's only other occupant. "I'm sure we wouldn't want any of the usual visitors bothering us during this."

"This is the best place," Seiichirô Tôgi replied. "If we wish to keep our conspiracy from the ears of Kaya- _sama_ , at least. As the school is hers, she has magical spies in most places, but Iori's loathing of her led him to ensuring she could not spy on this building. There are other places, like your den under the library, but if we met there, we might attract more attention from your friends and allies.

"Besides, I've made sure of this time. Iori is occupied, and Mai- _san_ is with Erika- _sama_ and Hinagiku- _san_ , correct?"

Kain nodded. "Yeah. It was her idea, as soon as you reached out to me." He narrowed his eyes at Seiichirô. "I was thinking it was about time to deal with that elephant in the room, but I was expecting Iori to approach me. It seems you're doing this without his knowledge…."

"That is correct. If Iori knew I was coming to you with this, he would be extremely angry with me, and I would suffer for it. He has, perhaps…expectations for you, but mostly as a weapon to use against Kaya- _sama_. He is still lost in despair. He does not really believe any change to the status of the Sendô family can be made, and he is afraid that going that far will only incite Kaya- _sama_ in unpleasant ways. But I have faith in you, Kain Lockeheart…I believe that you can save Erika."

Kain considered this, Seiichirô's sudden actions…his sudden words. The respect for the matriarch's chosen daughter was gone; instead, he had referred to the girl with familial, almost intimate tenderness, without honorifics. Kain was beginning to come to conclusions about the situation. "Let's start clearing out what we need to, then. You're a Servant, aren't you…Iori's?"

"Yes."

"I know because of what I've become…my magical nature allows me to sense the distinctive magical natures of nonhumans. Of course, you likely know that. So…what is Erika to you, then?"

Seiichirô's face still seemed blank and impassive. "Erika…is my sister. Technically, my half-sister."

Kain stared back, silent for several seconds. Then he nodded. "Of course. I should have guessed that. Vampires cannot normally have offspring, but if Kaya used magical or alchemical aids to temporarily grant fertility, she'd still need a partner; and who better than the head of the Tôgi family, foremost of her servants? What she desires, she gets…I'm certain Erika doesn't know anything about it, and I assume Shiro doesn't, either?"

"That's right. Naturally, this cannot be made known to them, either…for their protection, most of all. Iori is aware, however. I did not learn it from him, but rather discovered it through my own investigations."

"Your own investigations," Kain murmured. "Yes, I'm very surprised, Seiichirô- _san_. I never would have expected this from you. I thought you were the loyal member of the Sendô family; loyal, at least, to Iori, just following after him and keeping his whims from getting him into too much trouble, but…."

"If my mask had you fooled so, Kain- _sama_ , I count myself fortunate; it means no one else saw through me, either."

"All right, that's enough of that, then. What have you learned in your 'investigations' that you're so eager to tell me?"

Seiichirô was silent for a moment. "Kain- _sama_ …you are quite accomplished at alchemy, are you not?" Kain nodded, and the older boy continued, "Do you know how to use alchemy to produce a vampire? Do you think that you could even begin?"

Kain glanced askew at Seiichirô. "An interesting question. Most of the vampires around today date back to ancient families, mages who became vampires as a curse or from a backfire after using dark alchemy and magic to try and gain immortality. Mages who have done so 'recently' are almost unheard of. To really answer your question, no, I don't really think that, outside of using my Infernal power to force a curse like that upon someone, I could use magic or alchemy to produce a new vampire."

"That's right. If such a spell or potion were easy to make, even by magic, vampires would be far more common. Therefore, there must be some kind of rare, secret source of the vampire's power, especially for a vampire as powerful as Sendô Kaya, considering her youth; we don't know her true age, but most of the vampires who are comparable to her boast of their origins to a previous millennium at least, while the Sendô family has only arisen in the past few hundred years. And in my investigations, I found…this."

Seiichirô held up a small blood red crystal about the size of a thumbnail, and Kain took it from his hand to examine it more closely. It did not exactly shine, but it burned within with its own light, and it contained a dull, primal power, something not quite evil, but certainly not benevolent. "This is…?"

"There is a spring on the Sendô grounds, forbidden to anyone, even members of our family," Seiichirô responded. "Only Kaya- _sama_ is ever allowed to go there. I snuck in there recently and managed to come away with this."

"You've already mentioned Kaya's spies and paranoia," Kain murmured. "To come away with this you must have had help…from someone other than Iori, it would seem. Well, I'll leave it at that. This thing…you think it's the origin of the Sendô vampire…?"

"I really don't know. But I don't have many other theories. I have some skill at magic, but I can't learn anything from this stone, other than that it is magic. You, however, are an Archmage, and more besides…."

"That's right," Kain agreed. "Of course, right now, it's a mystery to me, too. But there's one way to get acquainted with it quickly." To Seiichirô's surprise, he opened his mouth wide, dropped it in, and swallowed. He turned a smile to the stunned Servant. "If this is a 'vampire' gem, I doubt it'll be able to corrupt me, considering what I already am. But putting it inside me…I might even meet the vampire inside my inner world along with the rest of the voices in my head. I don't know how long this will take. But I thank you for bringing this to my attention; and I'll let you know how it goes once I get a reaction."

Seiichirô stared at Kain, then relaxed his shocked face to return to its neutral stoicism, and he bowed to the younger man. "I thank you, Kain- _sama_. And I am sorry. I was hoping you would take this course…I called you here, even though…."

"It's not as though I'm a human who might be threatened by this," Kain assured him. "The worst that can happen is nothing; if I get a reaction, I know I'll be closer to my goal of solving the Sendô mystery. I made a promise to Erika, and to Rei, but I haven't done much for them up to now. I can see you have the same resolve to save Erika, and if you've put yourself forward this much for her sake, this is the least I can do. There is no worry. I will let this thing brew inside me and use it…to change the darkness of the Sendô legacy."

8-8-8

Blank page. _*Flip_ *. Blank page. * _Flip_ *. Blank page. _*Flip_ *.

Kain paused. He was the one flipping the page. It was actually somewhat surprising when he realized what was happening.

One thing he had noticed upon seeing it, something perhaps he only could have realized, was that there was a soul of sorts inside that small crystal; it was the reason he felt swallowing it and introducing it to his crowded inner world would make a difference. He had returned to his 'room' in the lair under the library—until recently the home and prison of Jynx—and gone to bed immediately, thinking that sleep would facilitate the integration of this strange item. He had been correct, it seemed—he was not sure when sleep had taken him, but, he now realized, he was in a dream world. It was dark right now, with the only visible objects the desk in front of him and the candle and book that lay upon it, right in front of him. The only sound was the rustling of the pages as he flipped them. This book was the focus of the dream, of the crystal-soul's 'memories'.

But the darn thing was blank. A defense mechanism? Or…perhaps an attempt to gather its thoughts…?

Ah…writing…here we are….

 _'Marehito-_ san _…that is what the children of the island call me. That is my name now. The people on the island at first referred to me as 'the foreigner', but now, as I am the most educated one on the island, they respect me._

 _'The 'ruler' of the island was the Tôgi family. They were led by two beautiful sisters, mage-priestesses, the guardians of the island and the Mana Tree that grew there, secret and alone. And there, I again sought the secret of immortality…all because, that winter, the elder sister fell sick, and I wished to save her. Ah…indeed…it seems I had fallen in love with her._

 _'But I am already an inhuman entity, having escaped the cycle of life and death as a result of my research. Above all, the beast that inhabits this body is also my torment…and even though I have witnessed many tragedies I still cannot give up a human's warmth.'_

Images rose up unbidden in Kain's mind's eye as he read this strange journal; he beheld Marehito- _san_ on the island, a golden-haired foreigner, and the happy children he spoke of who loved his lessons. He beheld the beautiful Tôgi sisters, and the illness that befell the elder, the love that blossomed between her and Marehito even as she lay upon her sickbed, and her sad resolution that the fate of the Tôgi family lay with her younger sister….

 _'I told her everything…and she accepted it. Those days my life was filled with warmth. But…if she leaves my sight…the beast in me will flicker its tongue out. Ah…this body is so humiliating….'_

The images brought with them a voice that whispered to Marehito, his own inner vampire hunger, telling him to make puppets out of the friends he loved…'just as he had done before'….

 _'The only way to quench the beast's thirst was to drink human blood. And so, my sorrow continued even in the midst of my happiness. Yes…I am not human. I could not even have a child. My wife kept blaming herself for being unable to bear me a child, and fell ill once again. But then, one day…._

 _'A miracle happened. She…became pregnant. But then I learned the truth. The head of the Tôgi household, my wife's sister, had used her powers to create that miracle. And the price of that miracle was the loss of my wife, who died without being able to hold her child even once. This happened on the 2_ _nd_ _of July, that my wife died during the delivery. I named my daughter 'Kaya'. I don't care what it takes…all I want is for Kaya to be happy. This is for my wife…._

 _'After my wife passed away, Kaya became my purpose in life. My wife's sister also helped me to raise her. Kaya grew to become a cheerful girl.'_

The images continued. Kain had no difficulty accepting them and paying attention to both written words and mental pictures; he had, of course, great experience with dream-worlds such as this. And these images were most interesting to him as he saw the young girl Kaya, looking very much like a young Erika, grow up laughing amongst the children. He watched her befriend a youthful, friendly girl named Rei….

 _'Kaya…my lovely daughter…. But…my cursed bloodline was passed onto her. I don't want Kaya to suffer the same fate as I…those never-ending, lonely days…. If I were to die one day, family will be essential for Kaya not to be lonely. That's right…as she is immortal, she would need a family with immortal members. I never thought of making these crystals again, but I will make them again for Kaya's sake. All the research I did for the past centuries, the hardship I went through in foreign lands…it was made. Blue crystals, about the size of eyeballs. The color is different because of the different magical materials available in foreign lands. But with these, Kaya can make her own family._

 _'I made two in total. Someday Kaya will make a three-person family. If my wife were still in this world, we would be a happy family. Maybe that is what she wishes for, as well.'_

Kain considered this. The blue crystal…was it different than the red crystal Seiichirô had found in the spring? So many mysteries….

He continued to read.

8-8-8

Kaya Sendô stood on the porch/walkway, gazing up at the night sky. Despite her detachment from all the events, watching everything play out seemed to have brought a melancholy to her. Was it resentment towards Kain Lockeheart, who had moved the hearts of her possessions? Was it the world that he created, the world of magic that would most likely threaten the cut-off world of Mahora that Kaya had cultivated? Or was it simply the fact that she knew that this had been the only choice…?

The soft sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. "Oh, it's Rei," she greeted her as she turned to her Servant.

"I was thinking," Rei murmured. "It is not a good night to be taking walks like this. The moon…is hidden by the clouds…."

"Hmph. I hate the moon."

Rei nodded. "Yes. The moon changes its shape every night…." She stopped next to Kaya and gazed up at it.

"It has been used to describe human hearts," Kaya mentioned. "It is a symbol of 'hypocrisy'. The human heart is fickle, just like the moon…whether it's their memory or their feelings."

"Or their promises?" Rei prompted softly.

Kaya's reaction was in staunch opposition to Rei's demeanor, for her head snapped around, and her vicious glare would have frozen rivers. Rei, of course, was unmoved by the ferocity, but she did offer, "I apologize. It was not my intention to offend." She turned her gaze back up to the haze-shrouded moon. "I…will never forget."

"Hmph." The venom left Kaya's countenance, and she also turned her face back to the sky. "Is that really so? You've been rather occupied recently. Have you been at the beck and call of your 'other Master'?"

"I have not seen Kain- _sensei_ since our graduation," Rei replied. "I have not been a part of his efforts to prepare this world for magical integration. Even before the graduation, I did little…he has largely distanced himself from me since we returned to Earth from Arcanus Myrror."

"Oh? Is there a little resentment there? Did he abandon you?"

"He has not…abandoned me. He simply feels that…he might have interfered too much in our relationship by making a contract with me. He does not wish to impose on the Sendô family more than is necessary."

"Heh." Kaya chuckled, a heartless, almost cruel laugh. "So, you're implying the affairs of the Sendô no longer mean anything to him. Am I meant to be insulted by that?"

"No. Kain- _sensei_ , as always, is a man of duty, doing what needs to be done, what he feels must be done. For now, the needs of the world take precedence over other concerns, but I know he has not forgotten, nor cast myself nor Erika- _ojô-sama_ aside. His heart is still here, with us; it's like the moon. It may be obscured now, but it is still there, shining behind the clouds. Just like…although my heart was obscured…I never forgot anything…especially not…my love for Kaya- _sama_. And Kaya- _sama_ herself…the Kaya- _sama_ I know will always be there, just like I will always be there, your…."

" _Silence!_ "

Rei cut off immediately, compelled by her master's magical compulsion. Kaya glared at her Servant, who still seemed passive, staring up at the sky. "Noisy Servant," she seethed. "Know your place. You don't need to say anything like that to me. I am the Master here." Then she turned and walked away, back into her mansion.

Rei remained, still staring up at the sky, but she was no longer seeing it. _('I'm sorry…Kaya-_ sama _…I cannot obey that order. I…had my heart obscured for so long, but now…the clouds have been parted. I can no longer just watch in silence and hope for the best. I am thinking…not as your Servant…but…as your friend…Kaya….')_

8-8-8

 _'A plague appeared in the land. It happened not long after the red crystal was made. I couldn't save them, not even with my knowledge. This is what they call a living hell. Each day, I could only watch over the people who depended on me…._

 _'The despair that spread resulted in a horrible rumor…that the Tôgi household had angered the gods…._

 _'Perhaps the people just needed an object for their anger. My sister-in-law believed this, spoke of it as the feelings of hatred grew with each passing day. She accepted it as the fate of the Tôgi household, that they who ruled the island must be its sacrifice in such times…._

 _'But I could not accept it. How could I? How could I just watch, and not try to help them? With the passing of my wife, my sister-in-law had been like a mother to Kaya, her niece. She even saved me when I was in despair over my wife's death! It was my turn to save her. So I made a recommendation…._

 _'She would not accept it. I knew that. So I made a 'condition' that would make us even. After a long thought, it was accepted, and I signed a pact with the Tôgi household.'_

The 'condition' revolved around Kaya…that she would be taken in by the head, and be part of the family, and if she 'needed humans' to make her family, the Tôgi clan must provide them for Kaya. The head gave this a great deal of thought, but finally agreed. Still, she had questions: "Marehito- _sama_ …how should I let Kaya know about this…?"

"…That child is still young. Until the day Kaya wishes to know the truth, please hide it from her."

"…How cruel…."

 _'Yes, I knew that it was cruel. I should have been the one to say it. But…seeing Kaya's innocent smile…I can't bear to say anything. Tomorrow, the 2_ _nd_ _of July, is this child's birthday. There is no practice of celebrating birthdays in this country, but I always celebrate Kaya's birthday with her, every year. Kaya eagerly looks forward to them. She must think now that we are headed for the Tôgi household to prepare for it. But this year…no, from today onwards, there will be no more celebrations. Soon it will be time to separate.'_

Kain watched as man and daughter approached the Tôgi residence, and Kaya ran forward with glee to greet her aunt. But Marehito suddenly called her back with an exhortation: "Make some friends, and drink their blood."

 _'If she drinks the blood of her friends, she can suppress that 'beast' inside of her. That way, she can avoid the pain of making her friends into Servants. Then, to prepare for the day that Kaya would want to make her own family, I gave her those crimson gems, those blue-dyed-crimson stones. She must have thought they were an early birthday present…her innocent smile…. And then, after that, for my own selfish wish, I lied to her.'_

"I have to go do something right now. We will celebrate your birthday tomorrow. It's a promise."

 _'At least…I let her smile…one last time…._

 _'That evening the rumor spread through the village like wildfire. They began to consider that despite my contact with the sick, I never fell ill. To lure them in, I burned a strong incense. The whisper spread…that I might be causing the disease. The men of the Tôgi household surrounded my house and began to decry me. The villagers who had lost loved ones gathered to direct their anger towards me._

 _'It was inevitable. Nobody should be at fault for the disease, but I chose to take the blame for everything. It was like this hundreds of years ago….'_

Kain watched Marehito flee the house, watched the maddened villagers pursue him.

 _'Being chased in a similar fashion by torches, escaping my house alone, my dear friends, the Servants of my house who couldn't disobey my orders, the friends who should have shared eternal life with me, couldn't escape and were burned to ashes, all because I had fed them my blood. Those friends I had made into puppets only brought me grief in the end. In that loneliness I came to understand; when a person is judged by others, he will fear abandonment. The closer the relationship, the greater the fear of separation. The recklessness of feeding them my blood just because I wanted to stay with them…that was the result of the 'beast' in me.'_

The villagers pursued Marehito to the edge of the cliff. Then, as they gathered fearfully around him, waiting for someone to gather up the courage to press in for the final time, a figure approached, parting their ranks and presenting herself to the supposed villain.

"Marehito," intoned the priestess of the Tôgi household. "Was this plague caused by you?"

 _('Don't cry,')_ Marehito thought desperately, watching the tear roll down her cheek, _('or the villagers will notice….')_

"That's right. I've grown sick of the peace on this island and of all the fools here. At least I get to have some fun at the end." Marehito gave off some suitably vicious diabolical laughter.

 _'What a tragic lie. The kindness of the villagers on this island made me forget the fear of being alone. For the first time, I felt the happiness of being accepted. Even though this is how they face me now, I am satisfied….'_

As the villagers called for his death, Marehito merely murmured, "It's fine…I'm sick of living, anyway…." He drew forth a knife and plunged it into his chest…a crystal shattered inside his tunic, and then flame erupted over his body, engulfing him in flames. He fell from the cliff down into the sea below, but the water could not seem the quench the fire. He was soon obscured by boiling water and mist.

 _'Only my own power could truly end my life, by the shattering of the crystal that originally enabled me to gain this body…but it's fine. I had the beginnings of a desire to be alone forever…but now, all this has finally ended…if God were to grant me a final wish, my prayer is that someone, no matter who it is, might celebrate Kaya's birthday with her once again. Tell Kaya that she was born because her parents wished for it….'_

The images were gone. The pages were blank. They were the last words of this Marehito. Kain considered it. "So…her father's intention…was to avoid making Servants…but to give her a family. If she received two gems…blue, or red…were they used to allow her to give birth to Iori and Erika? But, her own feelings….

"She came somehow from this unique island to Mahora…with the Mana Tree? According to what Marehito said, the Tôgi family guarded the Mana Tree on that island. Somehow, its power didn't protect it from this plague…there are many mysteries here." He shook his head suddenly as the book and candle and desk all faded into nothingness. "Well, my curiosity nibbles at everything, but that doesn't matter now. What matters…is the will of Kaya's father, and what she does with it. It's time. I know what I need, now…to face her."

He glanced up at the darkness. He felt its pulse and growing power. His determination had found lingering thoughts, but, he realized…what remained behind was the 'beast', that terrible vampire instinct and bloodlust. It was in the gem, and now was in his soul, had drawn him in here…and now it didn't want to let him out. He chuckled reproachfully. "Really…do you think you can stop me?" he murmured aloud.

 _'But…do you want to get out?'_

He glanced askew around him, as the voice had been all-encompassing. Then a man appeared before him…a copy of himself. The look on the young man's face was mocking, harsh, and cruel. "What can you tell Kaya?" the copy chided Kain. "Are you really unmoved by what you've seen? This was a warning—just what a man who lives forever must face. This is what happens when you involve yourself with others. Are you satisfied now? Why are you? You already experienced it once, and will continue to do so—the pain of separation. You can't keep them with you. They will all leave you, one by one. The closer you get to others, the more painful it is to separate. No matter how many happy memories you make, they will fade one day. Even if you have an immortal companion, as Kaya had Rei, you will not remain the same forever. You will not be able to remain together. You will change, and be pulled apart. You should understand this better than anyone. Besides…they might not even consider you their friend.

"You are different…you always have been. You were a genius without any peers, a child amongst men and terrified of interacting with anyone. Lost and alone, you distracted yourself by throwing yourself into your studies, your dream, your vision. You came here, but you've always been different…don't tell me you believe that difference was good. The good will of your students, their 'devotion' to you, was entirely superficial, their desire for a boyfriend. Lose that romance, and would they really care for you? Do you think that there's any happiness at the end of your road? You've already started separating from them. Once again, you tell yourself that it's simply because of your duties, but come now, be honest. Instead of trusting people and getting hurt, instead of waiting for the day they'll leave you, wouldn't it be better if you were never friends in the first place? Wasn't that what you always thought, deep in your heart?

"Come now, just surrender to inevitability. Give up…everything will be lost in the end. Stop sacrificing yourself for those who will never understand you or care for you. Simply give in…to the darkness…."

The words worked through Kain's body, running chills up and down his spine. He shook his head, banishing the sentiment, and threw his arm to the side in a demonstrative motion. "Give up yourself. I've crossed those bridges of thought too many times to consider. Of course I fear loss and betrayal…but I fear being alone, too. I fear the pain and hurt others will go through. There's no path for me that's free of pain. That's just how I am. I've made my decision. Something as insignificant as you can't even begin to damage it. Begone!"

Light began to flow out from Kain's body, spreading in a wave that consumed the darkness, turning it to white. The copy Kain vanished, but a last mocking laugh lingered. "So strong…but will that resolve…last a hundred years…a thousand years? It will be interesting…to see how long you can hold on…."

8-8-8

"Kain!"

Kain sat up with a suddenness that shocked Mai, and she staggered back. He turned to her and smiled. "Mmm. Morning. I think. I assume I might have overslept a little?"

Mai regained her composure and sighed. "A little? It's only barely still morning…and after you went to bed so early last night, too. You were asleep for so long…and I couldn't wake you, no matter what I tried. I was afraid you'd been sucked into a dream world again, like last fall…."

"I was, more or less." Kain rose and stretched. "Intentionally. Tôgi- _san_ gave me something to help me understand the Sendô family. Now, I know what I have to do…."

Mai considered him carefully. "Really?" Then she turned around and sighed. "Well, let me go call Erika, and Iori- _senpai_ , and Tôgi- _senpai_." Kain glanced at her quizzically, and she stopped and looked back towards him. "Before you cause a big shake-up like that, you ought to make sure everyone on your side is aware of your intentions."

Kain nodded. "Right. And Rei, too. She can fill in the few gaps I'm still missing, I'm sure. Finally…it's time…."

8-8-8

Kain finished his explanation. He glanced around at the audience, who stared at him silently. "I see," Iori murmured. "So sneaky of you, Sei- _chan_ …but I can't blame you. So, you're certain this Marehito- _san_ was…?"

"I am certain," Kain agreed. "I've dealt with this too much recently, as Mai pointed out to me when I woke up. Now, I can guess parts of what happened after. Kaya would have been the next target of the angry village…the child of the demon who cursed them, the source of their unhappiness and the plague. His wife's sister…if she was the guardian of the Mana Tree, she must have taken the tree, and Kaya, and any loyal to her, and come here, to Mahora. Here, she established her 'school' and hid herself amongst humans. That answers many questions…including why so many mages came to take over the school after the Mage-Vampire wars." He glanced at Rei.

Rei nodded. "Yes. We fled here at that time. Kaya was appointed the heir and head of the Tôgi household after that."

"That history is interesting, but it isn't the point," Mai said. "This…this 'beast' that Marehito- _san_ talked about…is that just the vampire instinct…?"

"If that red crystal is the remnants of the artifact Marehito originally used and created to become a vampire, then it certainly is," Kain agreed. "Although 'just' hardly seems appropriate. I've learned recently how much beings of power live in realms beyond the physical…passing on their souls, and giving birth to new souls through power. The vampire instinct is a demonic soul that dwells in the heart. The 'beast' was in that crystal I swallowed, and after I fought through it to find Marehito's memories and will, it still tried to tempt me, induce me to fear. I am not a vampire, so it could not prompt me to do much else, but that same instinct…would not just prompt a vampire of the Sendô lineage to crave blood, but to seek to give it, too." He glanced over at Erika.

Erika was staring at the ground in shock and discomfort. "Yes…that…is the same uneasiness I felt…that I've been fighting for so long. I never wanted to talk about it, but it was like a voice, whispering in my ear, in my mind. When…when we had our contract…that voice seemed silenced…the same as when I drank Alyssa- _chan_ 's elixirs…." She glanced up. "But…did _Kaa-sama_ have that same instinct…?"

"Likely so," Iori murmured. "Perhaps…it's hard to know the secrets of her birth. The priestess of the Mana Tree made that 'miracle' happen…perhaps by an appeal to the Mana Tree. If the Tree's power was used, Kaya could have been quite a different kind of creature. Perhaps part of what she was, physically, came about because of how she was treated because of that incident. There's still much we don't know. But Marehito- _san_ never taught her to make Servants, yet she did so with Rei- _san_."

"She had the primal desire that most humans have," Kain noted. "She didn't want to be alone. After learning she would live forever, she wished to have a friend who could be with her for all that time, and after having children, she's had the same desire for them. It is somewhat twisted perhaps, but…."

"But how is that friendship!?" Erika demanded angrily. "How can it be friendship if she's bound by that!?"

"Because it is all we've known." Rei's quiet voice cut through the air, and Erika looked up at her, startled, and blushed and looked away in embarrassment; she had forgotten, for a moment, that the very Servant she referred to was right with them. "Kaya- _sama_ explained it to me, and I made the choice willingly. I didn't want her to be alone. I know…that Kaya- _sama_ has lost her way…but even now, I would make the choice again. To be alone…for so long…it is painful."

Mai remembered the feelings she had after waking from her century of sleep. She also thought about the Rei she had met then, and what she had told her. She continued on, "Well, it's obvious Kaya- _san_ didn't have anyone to guide her, to show her the right way. After what she went through…it's not surprising at all. And I think there's another reason for how she treats Erika, and Iori- _senpai_ , and the rest of the Tôgi household."

"Reason?" Erika turned a questioning glance Mai's way.

"Hatred," Seiichirô continued when Mai hesitated. Mai nodded as the attention turned towards him. "The natural way she's chosen to interact with others is hate. It is an emotion that fades only with difficulty as time passes, and only if it is left completely dormant. Hate, like love, is a very strong emotion. Even to be hated for eternity is better than to be forgotten. Yes…as Kain- _sama_ said, it is twisted, but it is sound reasoning, in its way. Hatred is what she chose."

"But," Kain said, "that was not Marehito's intention. He wished for her happiness. And she has not found it. Hatred doesn't bring happiness. She can't possibly know what a happy family is."

"True," Seiichirô replied. "But the lack of love Kaya- _sama_ received in her youth is a matter of the past. Did you know that Kaya- _sama_ can take form in any age she wishes?" This actually caused Kain to raise his eyebrows; he had not suspected such a thing, but as he considered it, it made great sense, and was in line with other semi-immortal creatures of great magical power…including, potentially, himself and Mai, if his theories were correct. "But she chooses to appear in the form of a young girl."

This brought Erika up short. "…She wanted to be a child…. She chose the form at the time she was the happiest, and she is searching for that happiness, even now…that's why she was frustrated when her children did not meet her expectations…." She began to shiver as the weight of understanding began to descend upon her. "What should I do…? What should I do…?"

Kain walked over to her and set a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up at him in surprise. "Why ask that? What do you _want_ to do? That's where we should start. What do you want to do, in the end?"

Thoughts churned in Erika. She had been considering this for a long time. Initially, her only thoughts toward her mother, the uncaring vampire who ruled her, were hatred and rebellion. She thought little of 'family'; even interacting with the other girls in the academy, they had so few dealings with their own families that the word didn't mean much to her. But over this past year…seeing Kain's desperate search for his parents…seeing Mai's past…seeing so many evidences of the true meaning of the word…. She looked away, then looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I want…to be a true family…with _Kaa-sama_ …."

She glanced back down again, her eyes closed. "Of course, I'd also like to get rid of the beast inside of me…but I wish to start from there…."

Kain smiled and nodded slightly. "I understand." _('It's a very small wish. Perhaps Kaya herself, in the beginning, wanted a normal family. But ideal can't be reached just by wishing…I know that as well as anyone. It takes action…and it takes more than one person making the wish.')_ "In the beginning, I wanted to 'save' you from Kaya. But I knew it couldn't be done by force, or through any simple means. Kaya is your mother…that means a lot, no matter how she acts or appears to us. Saving you isn't what we should be focusing on…now I understand that fully, thanks to Marehito. The one we need to save is Kaya."

He turned towards the door. "Tonight, then…shall we visit Sendô Kaya?"

 _('The hardest thing about living so long…is not separations and loss…it is change. Those circumstances are just a small part of it. But change is inevitable…and sometimes necessary. And while all these changes were happening to our world, we should never forget the seemingly small changes that might take place in our hearts. And that's why we have to go….')_

Iori somewhat ruined the serious mood. "Well, you all have fun." As they turned to him in surprise, he continued, "There's no way I could make up with that woman…not yet. Change can't be rushed. If I go, there's no way I won't start a fight with her. And, Sei…you should stay behind, too. If Kaya were to find out you were the impetus behind this, her anger wouldn't be taken out on you…Shiro would suffer."

"Iori- _senpai_ is right," Mai said. "Really, I…think this has to be done by Kain and Erika. The rest of us will just be in the way. Rei, too, if Kaya- _san_ knew about your part…."

"That does not matter," Rei insisted, rising and heading for the door. "It is my duty to be by Kaya- _sama_ 's side, whether the meeting is what we hope for…or not. I will go on ahead. We will be waiting."

She bowed slightly to them all, then slipped out, closing the door behind her. Mai sighed, then turned to Kain and Erika. "Well, I'm staying behind with our _senpai_. You two…do your best. Make sure Kaya- _san_ understands what being a family is about, all right?"

Erika smiled and nodded, trying to buoy up her spirits. "O-of course…of course we will…."

"That's right," Iori agreed. "I will let you know one thing, Erika. That woman…really cares deeply about you, I know. She confined you because she knew you'd suffer from coming into contact with humans. That was her way of showing love to you."

Erika giggled. "What an awkward person… _Kaa-sama_ is. Thank you, _Nii-san_. Don't worry…we'll definitely make a happy ending out of this…."

8-8-8

Kaya glanced up at the sky. "Hmph. A full moon tonight. The most hypocritical of signs…it promises such glory, but will fade away in no time."

She shook her head, then spoke to the figures approaching her from behind. "Oh…it's you. Seriously…I didn't expect to have visitors tonight." She turned towards them. "So did you come because you needed blood, Erika?"

"No, _Kaa-sama_ ," Erika replied sternly. "We're here because we wished to speak with you."

"A chat?" Kaya said derisively. "Must be more of those pointless requests." She turned on her heel and started back for the building. "I'm not in the mood to listen to you."

"Even when it's about Marehito?" Kain interrupted suddenly.

Kaya whirled back around. Her face was frightful, fearful shock. "Why…do you know that name…!?"

"Because I saw his memories…" Kain began.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Kaya screeched, her face becoming a terrifying mask of rage. She was suddenly in Kain's face, grabbing his collar, yanking on it and pulling it in even closer. Her momentum forced Kain back, and Erika cried his name in shock and fear. Kaya's next words came out in a hiss even more terrible than her scream of pure rage had been: "This is not a name a human can speak of lightly. Where did you hear it from!? Iori? Or is it Seiichirô? Someone from the Tôgi household? Or…Rei!? Did you, her new 'Master', order her to speak it to you!?"

 _('What impressive strength,')_ Kain thought as Kaya's suppressed power surged around him. _('Even after all that's happened, I can count on two hands the number of people I've fought stronger than this woman. Stronger than the Obsidian Prince and perhaps a match for Eminus at his full power….')_ Even so, Kain did not fight back, not out of fear or surprise, but because he had already made up his own mind that, no matter what happened, he would not resort to violence here. It was because he did not fear her. Even with all this power, greater than he had expected or believed was possible from her, it was not enough to force him to fight for his life.

"No one told me that name," Kain answered again. "I communed with Marehito's soul. I saw his memories. I heard his point of view on the events at that island…."

"I already told you not to say that name." She hoisted Kain up. "I'll kill you, damn insolent human!"

" _Kaa-sama_!" Erika cried in fear.

Kaya glanced over at her…then suddenly threw Kain away. He fell to a knee from the distance and force of the impact, and Erika hurried over to him, but he warded her off with a slightly upraised hand as he rose and addressed Kaya again, as the woman turned and stalked away, still smoldering with anger. "That island," Kain continued. "Where it all started, at least for the Sendô family. The stones, which are the source of the Sendô vampire family's power. The kind Marehito, who admonished his daughter to drink the blood of her friends, one day before Sendô Kaya's birthday, July 2nd."

Kaya stopped, her eyes wide in shock once again, her mind recalling the distant memory of her father's final, false promise.

"I did not come here to fight you," Kain continued. "I did not come to bring any harm to the Sendô family. All I want to do is to pass on your father's words to you."

"…Continue," Kaya finally answered.

"Marehito's impulse to make his loved ones into Servants made him suffer. He was also afraid that you would inherit that impulse. The only way to suppress it is to drink blood, and so he told you to drink the blood of your friends…."

"Ha!" Kaya spat suddenly, and whirled back to face Kain again. "As if it were true! Those impulses are the irrepressible legacy of the vampire…as humans need food, so we need blood, and sources of food to rule over. Vampires are not made to have friends…."

"That's not true," Erika suddenly cut in. "We aren't born without emotions…if we can feel love and hate, pain and joy, just as normal humans do, how are we really different? Marehito- _san_ loved the woman from the Tôgi family…and from that love _Kaa-sama_ was born, a vampire from birth, but a girl of the Tôgi family. That's why Marehito- _san_ made those gems, so that _Kaa-sama_ wouldn't be alone in the future. To make sure you wouldn't be lonely, to make sure you could have a family! That's why he made those gems, and that's why _Nii-san_ and I can be your family! So…so…."

Kaya's face, running the gamut of emotions, turned into a sneer. She tilted her head back and gave out raucous laughter. "Lonely!? You fools think I would be lonely!? Fools! It doesn't matter if it's Erika or Iori, or anyone else! I just thought it would be a waste if I didn't use those gems my father gave me! Don't insult the name of my father!"

Erika was shocked to silence, but Kain quietly answered, "Insult his name? Hardly…it is you, Kaya, who has let Marehito down. Don't you understand? He told you to drink the blood of others so you wouldn't have to endure the agony of making them into Servants, and having them bound by chains to you. That was his will…."

"ENOUGH!" Kaya screamed. "How dare you speak to me that way!? You, who forces his students to contract with him right and left! Do you think you're righteous enough to admonish me for making Servants, when you have more slaves than I could ever dream of!? Rei!"

Erika glanced over and finally noticed Rei, watching from the shadows of the nearby copse of trees while the drama played out. Kaya whirled back to stare at her. "I order you. Kill Kain Lockeheart."

Rei stiffened, and her red eyes became more intense, with a sickly light flowing from them. She dashed in, mana coating one hand, and lunged with her signature weapon towards Kain's face with no hesitation….

Kain reached out and caught Rei's wrist, holding that deadly weapon mere millimeters from his face. He stared down at Rei's empty, completely void face, a puppet's face, and looked over at Kaya, who sneered at him victoriously. "Yes, the pain of a Servant…the agony of your 'friends' becoming mere 'puppets'. She won't stop until you're dead, now. What will you do? Battle my control with your own? Go on, then, 'Master'…order her to stop. It will probably work. It's the only way she might. That, or kill her."

"No," Kain replied softly, easily. "I told you, I didn't come to fight or attack you in any way. I simply wanted to pass on the wishes your father had. The order that the Tôgi family should serve the Sendô family…as friends…that was also Marehito's wish before he died…."

Again, Kaya reacted emotionally to Kain's words, but this time the reaction was completely different. It was…almost childish. "W-what…did you say…? I won't allow such blasphemy. Papa did not die! How could he just die and leave me behind!? He will definitely…definitely come back and celebrate my birthday with me!"

She shot her bowed head up. "Enough, Rei!" As the Servant returned to herself and fell back quickly, Kaya suddenly came forward again…and fell to her knees, grasping at Kain's clothes like a petulant child. "He will come back! He didn't…he isn't dead!"

Kain looked down at her pityingly. "Kaya…Marehito passed away…a long, long time ago."

"Don't lie to me…don't…lie…"

 _('I snuck out of the house. I wanted to play with the other children, but…they threw rocks at me, called me the child of a demon. Papa couldn't have spread the plague. Everyone just misunderstood. Everything would be cleared up if only he'd come back. I said many bad things to Rei. When Papa comes back, he'll teach me what to do….')_

"There is a forbidden spring on your grounds," Kain told her. "Your father became a vampire through a magical crystal of his own devising, similar to those he gave you to make your family. He used it to kill himself, to take responsibility for the plague and bring an end to that chapter of the village's darkness. The shards were recovered, and transferred to that spring. Even if you won't admit it, you must have known…been aware of the meaning. I recovered one shard of that crystal, and the soul of the vampire within passed on Marehito's knowledge to me."

Kaya suddenly withdrew, in deeper shock. "Papa's gem…is in your body!?"

"Technically, perhaps no longer…my soul's already crowded enough as it is. Regardless, I know all this. I also know that those gems he gave you only enabled you to create your own children…they, on their own, couldn't make an ideal family…."

"Are you saying it's all my fault!? The blood packs, Servants, all of it! I did it all for my family!" She whirled on Erika. "Why can't you understand!? Why must you rebel against me!? Trash like you would never be my family…!"

"… _Kaa-sama_ …I am your daughter." Erika slowly began to approach Kaya, and she withdrew in surprise and fear. "No matter what you say, that will never change."

"You…you trash…!"

"That's why, if _Kaa-sama_ would move forward and accept us, I would never abandon you. But if you still can't accept us…if you can't accept me as part of your family…." Erika suddenly darted forward, and pulled a dagger from the folds of Kaya's robes. She plucked it from its sheath, and then proffered the handle to Kaya. "Then push this dagger into my heart and kill me. By now, you should know…how to make your own gem, to make another member for your family, right?" Erika looked into her eyes, and as Kaya's hand gripped the guard, she positioned the blade by her heart. " _Kaa-sama_ is afraid of me, aren't you? You're afraid…that I'll hate you, right? Yet you tell yourself…'hate others before they hate you', 'detest others before they detest you'. But that way is too painful…."

Kaya tried to assume her arrogant sneer again. "You talk as if you know everything…you really think I won't do it!?"

"You're only trying to convince yourself that you're so cold-hearted and ruthless," Erika continued. "You must be just afraid…to be betrayed by the one you love…."

"…Shut up…."

"Actually, you love humans…."

"…Shut up…that's enough…."

"Marehito- _san_ loved you as family, as his daughter…he wanted your happiness…please don't let him down…."

"It's not…that's…I…!"

"Kaya…."

All eyes turned to Rei, who had spoken up for the first time. "Why are you so stubborn? Before…you were honest, and open…."

Kaya glared at her. "Rei…are you going to betray your Master…?"

"I do not wish to disobey," Rei answered softly. "I have not wished…for centuries. I have done nothing…but obey. But now, I do wish…I wish my friend…would return from the wrong path. Erika- _sama_ and Kain- _sensei_ …they wish only for your happiness, too. Kaya…I do not understand…what is there that is wrong with that…? They only say that you need the bonds of family more than hatred…."

Kaya shivered. She let go of the knife and staggered backwards, almost like a drunken man. "I don't need…a family…I don't need bonds, either…living alone…."

"Please don't run anymore, _Kaa-sama_!" Erika cried. "I want…I want _Kaa-sama_ as my family!"

 _('…Since it has come to this…if I can't get it even if I wanted it….')_

"Do it! Rei! _Kill Erika_!"

Rei's expression changed again and she charged for Erika.

 _('I should just destroy it with my own hands, and pretend that it never happened. All this time, all this time, it has always been like this. What can change now? What can still be changed…? Even the one who changed it….')_

As Erika recoiled in fear and shock, Kain was suddenly in front of her. His hand flashed in front of Rei's face, and there was a burst of magic, and she fell silently to the ground, asleep. Kain sighed. "Really, now…stubbornness really has its limits. What are you trying to prove, anyway?"

He turned to Kaya, glaring at her. Kaya, trembling, stepped back. "Now then, Kaya…." Kain strode toward her…and slapped her across the face. "C'mon, now. You've whined enough already. You're a mother now. You can't keep acting like a child. If you're afraid that people will change, and abandon you, then you must change yourself first. If you cannot gain the happiness Marehito gave you when he was alive, you should make your own happiness instead of using hatred as a substitute." Kain patted her head. "I never accused you of making mistakes…you saw your mistakes yourself. But I definitely don't blame you for making Rei your Servant. Regardless of that, you see it, don't you? She's still your friend. That's all she ever wanted to be. You have your own family, too. Why can't you just fulfill Marehito's dying wish? His wish was for you just to 'be happy'."

Kain smiled down at her, and as she looked up at him with wide eyes, she saw the ghost of her father in his countenance. "Pa…pa…." She couldn't restrain her tears anymore, her emotions any longer, and she burst into loud sobs.

"Hey, now," Erika growled. "Don't go making other people's mother's cry."

Kain glanced at her with exasperation. "Really?" he muttered.

"D-don't…look…you're both just trash…."

Erika returned to an honest smile as she focused on Kaya. "Yes. Both of us are indeed useless. But let's both change, starting today…all right, _Kaa-sama_ …?"

" _B-baka…_ I don't even know who the mother is anymore…."

8-8-8

They were inside the Sendô mansion, the chamber Kaya usually used for audiences. Rei had been carried in by Kain and laid to rest in a room to sleep off his magic, while Iori had shown up to chat up the pair of victorious youths and trade a few barbs with Kaya. Kaya finally tried to compose herself and addressed them as the head of the Sendô family, from her usual position of authority.

"All of this…I can't accept it…yet," she said finally, then continued, "but what I mean is, change doesn't come that easily. If it did, I would have changed…a long time ago."

"That's right," Iori agreed, gathering unusual seriousness and respect in his words. "It's not as if she can just say 'I'm sorry for everything, so let's get along'. It's never that simple."

"No, it isn't," Erika agreed. "But that's okay! We can learn together, right? _Kaa-sama_ , I'll try my best, too. Our mistakes won't just go away…so we just have to make up for them."

Kaya chuckled, a new, tired, and somewhat exasperated smile on her face. "Well said. But it just proves how useless you are…your age isn't even a tenth of mine, you know. You really aren't fit to be a vampire. So, perhaps being human is what suits you best."

Erika stared at Kaya in shock. Such an idea had appealed to her…but it had been nothing more than a child's fantasy. She was a vampire…the thought that she could really be anything else…. "Being…human…? Is it really possible…to become one…?"

"Of course it is," Kaya replied. "There's no such thing as a race of vampires, really. Vampires are humans mutated by dark magic. Powerful alchemy could have enabled me to have children as I did…but a 'normal' alchemist, like Kain here, would have only allowed me to have human children. It was Papa's crystals that allowed me to have you, as vampires, so that I could have the happiness of that eternal family. But, if it doesn't suit you…then don't worry about that wish. Perhaps it was as foolish as my desire for Servants as eternal friends. I refused to consider it much, but in truth I could always see it in the humans around me…that perhaps it is better to live in happiness for but a few years than to live in misery for eternity. No, I guess humans like you would call that common sense, wouldn't you?" She chuckled again, then shook her head.

"Anyway, I know you received some alchemical drugs from Alyssa - _chan_ that suppressed your vampire nature. They were simple potions to her, made for vampires in general…but because of what we are, and the myriad forbidden experiments humans undertake in order to obtain eternal life, all vampire families are subtly different. I was given the crystals by Papa, and inherited his knowledge of them. I studied his alchemy through the centuries, everything he left behind. I alone know the necessary ways to prepare a potion that will steal that vampire curse from the Sendô family, and leave behind a normal human."

Iori stared hard at Kaya. "You can really do that?" he asked, no emotion in his voice.

"Of course. It's pointless to lie about such a thing now. If that is what my children wish, I will do it. In addition, the Sendô family will be disbanded."

Kain stared at her, surprise lighting his face for the first time all evening. "Disbanded? But…."

"Shut up. This is a family affair." She turned her attention back to her two children. "You are free to leave or stay. If you stay, we'll be a family again. This is the only way that I can atone for my sins."

"Stay?" Iori murmured. "Do you really think we'll choose to stay?"

"It doesn't matter. If I am left alone, then that is the price I must pay, the punishment for my actions." Kaya's stern, empirical lordly demeanor once again began to crack, and she once again reverted to the emotional, childish nature they had seen earlier as she continued, "But…m-my only selfish wish…is that both of you…would stay with me…."

All three of the children before her stared in shock at this change. It was, in all certainty, the first request she had ever made to her family. She regained her composure and coughed. "Well. In any case, I already have everything I need to do it. Let's prepare those potions…to remove your vampirism."

"Question." Iori suddenly shot up a hand in a half-teasing nature, and quickly asked, "May I remain a vampire?" As Kaya glanced at him in surprise, he continued, "I still have something I need to do…so I hope I can stay as I am."

Kaya sighed. "Is that so? Oh well…you may do as you like."

"Great! Then I'll stay a vampire. What about Erika?" He glanced back at his sister.

"Eh? I…I…." Erika hesitated. It was indeed, what she had hoped for so long in her heart of hearts…the thought of being free of the 'beast'…but it had been such a pipe dream. And now that the option was dangled plainly before her eyes, she didn't know what to do. Most of all, before, the biggest part of it was the thought that if she were a human she would be free of her mother's tyranny, free to live a life apart from the pallor of the vampire family. But now…she had reconciled…and the thought of leaving her mother to immortality while she moved on…. " _Kaa-sama_ …."

"Didn't I already tell you?" Kaya said, easily perceiving her daughter's thoughts. "You're not fit to be a vampire. You proved that often enough."

"Being a human would suit you," Kain agreed. "I think we all know that. We've loved you regardless, but seeing you finally at peace…nothing would make us happier. Besides, think of it this way…as a human, you'll be able to have children of your own. If you do plan to try living as a new, renewed family with Kaya, even if you're mortal you'll be able to leave her grandchildren to care for…and future generations beyond that."

Kaya's look to Kain after this comment was inscrutable, but it brought a half-laugh, half-cry out of Erika. "R-really, now…but wouldn't that be terrible irony? You…have become something immortal, but I could just give it up here…."

"Treatises on mortality, poverty, nature and nurture, and similar effects are fascinating," Kain replied. "Put simply, from my viewpoint, whether certain traits can be 'gifts' or 'curses'—traits like immortality—is a question of too many variables. I don't know how my immortality will affect me in the future, but for now, it doesn't bring me anything that gives me too much grief. But beyond the notion of 'living forever', the very aspects of your immortality weigh on you. As Kaya said, you're not cut out for it. There's no shame in this; it's not running away. Your mother has, from the bottom of her heart, offered you an honest gift of love, as a peace offering and attempt at atonement. The choice is yours…whatever you really feel would make you happiest, that is what Kaya wants for you, too."

Kaya snorted. "Well, you do talk big, boy. You really have no idea what immortality means…but I'm sure you'll learn. In any case, we should take a moment to address your part in this. You're the one who brought Erika here, who started this whole embarrassing fiasco. I assume you intend to take responsibility for this?"

Kain sighed, and smiled back at the childlike matriarch. "Oh, I have too much responsibility as it is. I take responsibility for everything. It's why I'm here in the first place. So of course I will. Erika, and her descendants…I will watch over them all my life."

"Hmph. I will hold you to that. But as you say, you have many other responsibilities as well." She turned back to her daughter. "Well, Erika?"

Erika forced her brightest smile, shook away the last of her tears, and let herself relax. "…Yes. Thank you, _Kaa-sama_. Please, allow me to become a human."

As Kaya began to lead Erika towards a back room, Kain turned and started for the door. Iori glanced at him questioningly, but Kain communicated by a light wave that his part was done. Mother and daughter shared their first moments as real family….

Kain exited, closed the door behind him, then glanced over at the figure leaning against the wall just beside him. "Kaya- _san_ really is quite the drama queen, isn't she?" Mai murmured.

"You were listening in?" Kain asked, not accusingly.

Mai turned and started away, and Kain moved with her. "Kind of image-shattering, in its way," Mai continued brightly. "The immortal queens should be so imposing, unflappable, cruel and terrible…but Kaya- _san_ wasn't much different than Alyssa, a brat even after so many centuries. What's with them all wanting to seem like children, anyway?"

Kain chuckled. "Well, Alyssa aside, Kaya was never given a chance to really grow up properly. She had not learned how to emotionally handle people connecting with her in that way, especially in defiance of her commands. But…thinking back to the first day I met her, one year ago, I never really imagined this kind of happy ending would come. Do you think…it'll really work out for them?"

Mai smiled. "Of course it will," she answered softly. "That is one happy ending I'm sure about. The Sendô family…has been saved."

She was reminiscing over the scene she had seen the in future…the girl she had met, Erika's descendant, and the words of a bright and friendly Rei. Some immortal elements of the family remained, but Kaya had been sufficiently changed…and in that world of sadness, it was like the lone bright spot. And considering what she had just witnessed, she saw no reason to worry about this family. There were far more important visions of the future that needed to be dealt with….

Mai had never actually shared anything about the future she had seen, so of course Kain was ignorant of the source of her confidence, or what she really felt or believed about the matter. "Yeah…I guess so," he finally said.

"No, not I guess so. Of course it is! But it's just the start, for the two of us. So much left to do." Mai whirled around to face Kain, walking backwards as they continued their march out of the Sendô grounds. "We have to keep going, Kain…and make sure of as many of these 'happy endings' as we can."

 _('Yes…in all these meetings and partings, who we are and what we need to do hasn't changed. That's what Kain will keep doing, that's who he is, and that's what I have to help him do. There's nothing else I can do, and nothing else I want to do…I'll be by his side the whole time, for however far and long our immortality takes us….')_

F I N

 _Author's Note: Fortune Arterial_

 _The final major loose end I'd left, neatly tied up. At least, of those I wanted to address in this actual story. Things like Hayate Ayasaki, the Quincy War, the lost Fairy Tail and other events have been hinted at or blatantly bandied about but won't actually be in this work, since the class is, at this point, pretty much done._

 _The ending to Fortune Arterial is here, taken from the manga adaptation of the work. It is one of those overly-melodramatic moments, with lots of strange philosophical blitherings and cryings, but it fits in with the Negima style and is a good finish to the drama Erika's brought with her into the work. It's a sappy, happy story of the sort I love, so I didn't do very much with it. As such, I think it needs little more explanation—Kohei Hasekura was, of course, Erika's romantic partner, which Kain wasn't, but his role as the do-all protagonist and everything else required him to be here. It's all right. He doesn't need to make a silly pledge of sort-of love to make this moment right._

 _So, let's go…there is, really, one more chapter wrap-up, then an epilogue, and then…._


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Seven: To the Future!

It was a crisp, late spring morning, but the chill was mostly unfelt by the collection of students, due to the immensity of the occasion. Four years ago they had largely been children, a collection of misfit girls with flights of fancy, prone to foolishness and such. Now….

Well, some of them hadn't matured as much as others, but they were clearly women…and all that they had experienced had an effect, it was certain. Even Riza Asakaze, Izumi Segawa and Miki Hanabishi were dignified at this moment, as they attended the ceremony that marked their graduation from high school, having fought the good fight in order to register barely-passing grades.

The world had already begun changing. Mahora had changed the most, with the integration of the middle and high schools into single, coed entities instead of gender-segregated pools, and knowledge of magic had spread to pretty much everyone on campus. That part had not been difficult; the greatest majority of students at Mahora were granted admission because they were only a few steps away from being in the magical circle as it was, and they had been conditioned—whether by natural environment, or the school's subtle, diabolical will, it was hard to say—to accept the unusual with aplomb anyway. It was even more subtle than it had seemed in the future Kain and his class had visited…as rumors spread around the websites frequented by Mahora students, rumors that magic was responsible for so many of the strange happenings that went on, the students considered it, said to each other, "Oh, magic, that kind of makes sense, doesn't it?" and went on with their lives.

Certainly, there were a few with more agile and willful minds, those who were like Chisame and Nanami and sought either to deny and run from magic or to exploit it in some way, but the school's resources were easily enough to deal as was appropriate with each of them. Now, the mages were looking beyond places like Mahora, and magical-related events were starting to crop up around the globe. Kain had spent a good portion of the last three years intervening in crimes and mysteries caused by magical forces running amok…they weren't really common, but occasionally a magical force entered the world, or a magical artifact fell into the wrong hands and started mischief, and Kain was at the forefront of the mages putting a clamp on it. At the same time, it allowed him to carefully spread the seeds of magical knowledge to those who could be of the most use to the magical society. Now, his plan called for the final, total announcement of magic sometime within the next four years.

But the matter was fact to these ladies as they graduated, and the young men that graduated with them. And they all had their own plans for after graduation…and most of them involved magic.

After the ceremony was completed, the diplomas were handed out and the former students were released, and they mostly began to fragment into their respective groups, chatting and talking with their friends and making plans to celebrate the occasion….

Kagome hailed Nodoka as the still shy girl began to separate from the crowds. "Ah," she sighed. "Even after all this time, it's kind of lonely, isn't it?"

Nodoka smiled slightly. "Yes…it is…Mai- _san_ and Momo- _san_ for you, and Yue and Ami for me…."

"It's kind of funny," Kagome mused. "When you think about it, we really spent about as much time without them in high school as we did with them in middle school, but it still feels more natural for them to be there, you know?"

"Yes…but…we had each other…."

"Yeah." Kagome glanced carefully at Nodoka. "I'm really relieved, Nodoka." Nodoka looked back in surprise, and Kagome continued, "Well, I was a little worried about you…your friends running off on you, and at the same time, Kain- _sensei_ rejected you, left us all and ran off with Mai…I mean, I can't fault them, I guess I always thought that might happen, and of course I'm happy for her, but…in my heart…even if Mai was my friend, I was always kind of cheering you on, I guess…."

Nodoka actually giggled. "No…it's okay. Kain- _sensei_ …was happiest with Mai- _san_. That was always the case, even if we were too afraid and stubborn to see it. It was what was best. He loved all of us…it was as painful for him as it was for us, having to choose, having to disappoint so many."

Kagome sighed. "Jeez, you're such a good girl, too. C'mon, you had to have been a little jealous and let-down."

"N-no…." She giggled again. "Okay…of course I was…but if I really love Kain- _sensei_ , I couldn't just let that depress me and ruin my life. I couldn't keep my friends here, beg them to stay, just because I wanted their support. I had to learn…if nothing else, I am so grateful that Kain - _sensei_ taught me to have the strength to stand on my own, to do things for myself. Yue and Ami had their own important dreams to follow, and me too…I have a dream to follow…something that I must do…."

Kagome's look was again very careful. "…Right. Find Fairy Tail, isn't it?"

"Yes." Nodoka turned to Kagome. "What about you? Kagome- _san_ …did you finish with your training…?"

"That's right," Kagome agreed. "I've done all I can, schooling-wise, to be an Archmage Potentiate, as they call them. Rather than receiving a task, I've got a work I'm going to do as my submission for the title, basically my magician's thesis, you could say, and I'm about ready to do it; I'm going back to Kain- _sensei_ 's home, and I'm going to restore the people of his village to life. I can do it now, I know it…."

Nodoka gazed at Kagome admiringly. She had always been so strong, so determined. She had often been busy with her studies, but, as the two had been left bereft of their usual circles in high school, they had drifted together, and Nodoka had used Kagome's example as her strength to encourage her to keep going. Thanks to that, she knew she would be strong enough to find them. She thought of her long-lost friends of Fairy Tail…and the strange invitation that had been left at her doorstep that very morning….

"That's wonderful, Kagome- _san_ …I'm sure…."

"Ah, there she is! Hey! Hey! Nodoka- _chan_!"

"That's rather rude, Arika. Shouldn't you let Yue speak for herself?"

"Well, if we leave it to Yue, she still won't have the voice or presence to cut through this crowd…."

The pair stopped and glanced over in surprise. Nodoka cried out with joy, and charged.

Naturally, the speakers were the misfit collection of HiME that had befriended Yue, including the short girl herself, and the pair of reunited friends embraced enthusiastically. Arika, Nina, Shiho, Irina and Erstin all stood respectfully back and looked on with various expressions. They were dressed in casual clothes, for the most part; all had grown into women, but otherwise seemed little changed from how they had been back in the day, especially Yue, who still seemed so small she should have still been in school.

Yue, amazingly, almost matched Nodoka's enthusiasm in their reunion, her small, earnest smile marking her face. Kagome smiled herself as she looked at the reunion, then decided to address herself to the other visitors. "Well…so you came to visit Nodoka on her graduation, huh? That's nice of you all…I hear you all graduated from Garderobe last week…?"

"That's right," Shiho agreed. "We can't tell you what assignments some of us may have gotten until they become official, but we are no longer apprentice HiME. But…didn't you know…?" Kagome looked confused at Shiho's hinting question, and the psychometer continued, "Certainly, we came so Yue and Nodoka could have their reunion, but it wasn't just our whim. We were invited."

"Invited?" Kagome demanded. "Invited by whom? For what?"

"Oh, please, weren't you paying attention, Higurashi? Were you actually _studying_ these last few weeks or something?"

"Eh?" Kagome turned back as the newcomer approached, marked with her usual brand of ennui. "Chisame- _chan_ …."

"This is our graduation from high school, the most momentous occasion of our young lives so far," Chisame continued. "Or at least, that's how our teachers see it. And one teacher in particular thought that it was an important enough event to make a huge fuss over. Kain- _sensei_ arranged for a huge, Class 3-A reunion/celebration party tonight. You should have the details in your mail if you'd look at them…."

"Eh? Ah…." Kagome whipped out her phone and took a look, and found that it was indeed the case. "It's true! I guess I just never look at this thing enough…none of the people I usually hang with use cell phones much, if at all…." She glanced back to Chisame. "Will _everyone_ really be there?"

"Yes, everyone," Momo said sweetly from right next to Kagome, startling her with the suddenness of her appearance. Kagome actually gave a screech and fell over, and Momo, giggling, bent down to help her up. "It's been too long…but we wouldn't be Class 3-A if we didn't leave our 'childhood' behind with something like this, would we?"

"No, that's certainly true," Yue agreed with her small smile as she and Nodoka finally moved to join the minor reunion. This time it was the recovered Kagome who was enthusiastically embracing Momo, but Yue continued, "After everything, this is only appropriate. I hear Kain- _sensei_ really made some preparations for this. We can start heading over now. Shall we?"

8-8-8

Momo led the group at Chisame's insistence—apparently those two were the only ones present who really knew the location, and Chisame would not lead if at all possible—and together they made their way towards the location for the party Kain had prepared. There were delays, for they encountered more of their friends en route, and Nodoka and Yue both had to take a few moments to embrace Ami at their reunion. They picked up Rakasu and the Yûki sisters on the way as well.

To the surprise of all, Momo was leading them…towards the rooftop that had always served Class 3-A's athletic activities. "What, here?" Kanade demanded. "I would have thought that we'd party somewhere like Alyssa- _chan_ 's place…."

Momo smiled beatifically, but Chisame actually smirked knowingly and spoke first. "Ha…really? I'm surprised at you, Dorm Supervisor…you're thinking way too small…."

Momo opened the door…and a brilliant Technicolor field greeted them beyond. As they marveled at it—even to these girls, such sights were hardly common—the field sucked them all inside….

…And deposited them into a relatively familiar terrain. No cliffs, no out-and-out jungles, but a park-like field with a scattering of trees around a path leading up to a magnificent demesne, a sprawling mansion/castle hybrid. Overall, it was similar both to Jynx' lair that he inhabited underneath Library Island and Alyssa's resort. A few of the visitors voiced opinions as such.

"Very close, although that 'lair' of Jynx' was always mine to begin with," Kalan corrected them, and the girls started with cries of surprise and delight. "This place is actually a world Kain and I created out of both of those, and prepared for this little gathering. It has been a few years, after all, and Kain wanted to give you all one last get-together to celebrate your graduation. Let's head on in, then; you girls are among the latecomers…."

The magnificent palace had three large floors and endless rooms with all the various distractions the girls could want; game rooms and movie rooms and kitchens and dining rooms and libraries and studies and everything in between. As Kalan noted, it was already packed with people…not just members of the old Class 3-A, but many of the important friends that had helped them during the crises of that year and beyond.

Before they were released to explore, Kalan explained the rules of this place: similar to Alyssa's, it bent time at twenty-four times normal speed, but unlike Alyssa's, there was no lower limit on required stays, but simply an upper limit, as Kalan and Kain planned one usual twenty-four-hour party…because 'That's easiest to give you extra time without completely sabotaging your sleep schedules.'

Several of the more reserved members of the former class were sitting in the great entrance foyer, sitting around small tables, drinking tea and other beverages, and quietly enjoying conversation. Kajirô was actually speaking with Kaoru and the Harada sisters, and they turned and greeted the newcomers as they approached.

"Hey, hey, Kaji- _kun_!" Kanade piped up, loudest as always. "Whatcha doin' here? I thought for sure you'd be with Hina- _chô_ …."

The relationship between the two childhood friends had been interesting for those who remained close by at school to observe. They maintained a steady friendship, somewhat too obviously a step or two removed from romance, their interactions a steady constant in the never-ending change that flowed through the school. Even now, with this rather blunt accusation, Kajirô replied, without any strong emotion, "Well, she and Erika- _san_ wanted to have some time with their old friend. Mai- _san_ ," he elucidated when they registered initial confusion.

Kagome's eyes widened in delight. "Mai…she's here!?"

"Yes, of course. She arrived with Kain- _kun_ some time ago in order to prepare this, along with Kalan- _san_ and Aeli- _san_ and…."

"Oh, oh, where are they at!?" Kanade enthused, taking charge again. "We need to go say hi to Mai! It's been too long!"

Kajirô gave them directions to a drawing room up on the top floor, and the entire group began to make their way there. Kagome was grumbling about it a little. "Jeez…if they'd come back, why didn't they come see me? I'm just another member of the class, huh?"

"Now, now," Momo offered, attempting to soothe her. "They've been busy, and had a lot to do; they wanted this surprise to be for everyone…."

"Hmph," was all Kagome gave in reply.

They passed the Baka Trio on their way. The three paused to greet them in the midst of their rather dubious conversation:

"I tell you, if we want to take advantage of the new magic world, we have to make something new!" Riza insisted. "A magic investigative service, or something of the sort!"

"I don't know, even with artifacts like ours, running a company would be a lot of work," Miki replied. "We need to wait for one of the other worlds to open up, then snag men from the royalty of that world for husbands 'in the name of interplanetary relations'. Then we can lean on them for anything we want or need out there…."

"We're already wealthy _ojô-samas_!" Izumi pointed out. "Let's just hire a bunch of heroes to take us on adventures…!"

The sound of battle drew them to a _dôjô_ -like room where Delryn, Kenjirô, Akari, Kiami and Hikaru were all taking turns sparring. Kazumi and Yukari stood against the wall, watching and chatting amongst themselves, and they cheerfully greeted the arrivals when they stepped in to investigate. They then had to drag Arika away, because she wanted to join the fighting….

One stair-bedecked parlor they passed through housed Rei, Kaya, and Yuki, who were enjoying their own quiet drink and conversation. Yuki acknowledged them with her unchanging robotic stoicism, while Rei smiled softly at them and saluted them cordially. Kaya muttered a polite greeting, but obviously didn't seem too happy to see them, and so they quickly moved on.

They started a bit nervously as they came across Kurt Gödel, who was with Caria and Nanami. Nanami seemed to be wheedling Kurt about something, but the conversation stopped and again greetings were exchanged between the groups. Kurt acted his usual self—a bit overly familiar and condescending, but generally courteous and friendly. For some reason, he seemed quite at home here.

And finally they arrived at their original destination….

They entered the drawing room, and found seven souls in attendance—there were two tables in the room, and there sat Mai, with Hinagiku and Erika, chatting amiably, while at a smaller table sat Aeli, Artoria, and Jynx as well, and Aeli held a small child, perhaps eighteen months old, on her lap. The older three watched the youths' table with contentment while they caught up, and all eyes turned to the noisy arrivals as they came bustling in.

"Mai!" Kagome was the first to break the silence, and despite the petulant nature she showed while they navigated the immense building, she immediately dashed forward to greet her old friend, and Mai rose from her chair and received the embrace happily. The rest of the group followed on their heels at a more relaxed gait while the two enjoyed their reunion.

They finally separated, and the rest of the new arrivals greeted their prodigal classmate. Then the attention turned to the other table, and most especially to the child. As the females ogled the little treasure, Aeli introduced her daughter, Rose.

"Wow, so Kain- _sensei_ 's really a big brother now, isn't he?" Rakasu giggled. "She's so precious…."

Rose sat somewhat calmly on her mother's lap, but grinned at the visitors and took any hands proffered to her. As the attention here began to wane, Kanade focused a bit more on Mai. "Hey, Mai," she said, "you've gotten a bit fat."

Mai flushed at the comment and scowled at Kanade. "I'm not fat," she muttered with some reluctance, almost under her breath.

Kanade's observation brought the group's attention back to Mai, and they considered her; she seemed much as she had been when they last saw her, shortly before leaving the school during their Freshman Year. She was a little taller and more mature, and not otherwise remarkably bigger except for the fact that her bust, against all that was fair and right, was even bigger…and her stomach, which was slightly inflated, enough that Kanade had remarked upon it and the rest could see it now, too. But it didn't seem so much like 'fat' as it did….

"She's pregnant," Hinagiku sighed with exasperation.

After several moments of shocked silence, this brought a whole new cacophony to the reunion.

"W-whoa!" Kanade yelped. "That's…then, Mai and Kain- _sensei_ …!?"

"Naturally, who else?" Chisame scoffed.

"My, my, my," Shiho murmured with an evil smile. "Well, I guess it's no surprise, even for us, but still…as young as you are…you just couldn't wait, huh?"

"We _waited_ until Kain was officially 18 to get married," Mai retorted. "I'm just a trimester along, thank you."

"Eh…but still, it's quite surprising," Ami averred. "I mean, I…realize you two had circumstances, but to marry and start this so quickly…and, ah, I was, uh, under the impression that, you know, you were both immortal…and it would stand to reason that children from a union would be…rare…."

"I'm not going to get into it," Mai said. "Sorry, Ami. It's just how it is."

"It's not all that shocking, really," Aeli giggled. "Both Kain and Mai are, in various ways and through various means, past teenagers. They may be eighteen according to official records and timekeeping, but Mai's situation and age are most unusual, apart from her immortal status, and Kain has the education of a man in his late twenties."

"They both have walked a very long road just to get here," Artoria agreed. "Even if you think 'they're immortal, they have all the time in the world', they are young enough that such words don't really sink in. What they know is that they've already waited a long time to find each other, to be together, they've already been through so much, and because of their paths they have no idea what the future will really be like. Why are you surprised? Because they're young? Aeli pointed out how that doesn't apply to them in the same way. It might not be the right time? When is? They've just decided to get an early start, and all we can do is be happy for them. Personally, I'm quite happy to welcome such a youthful maiden to the circle of pregnant women we have here."

Artoria's last comment brought another silence-confusion-cacophony bomb. Indeed, with all the other stimuli the girls had been slow in noticing certain small details, and with Aeli and Artoria both sitting it had been a bit more difficult to notice, but Aeli was about as far along as Mai—Rose was positioned on her lap so as to not put pressure on her stomach—and Artoria was _quite_ pregnant. The girls' reaction to this was with more excitement and amazement.

"You have a new daughter, and _already_ you're pregnant again?" Kagome demanded of Aeli. "Wow…after being alone for so much of his life, how's Kain going to handle infant siblings _and_ a kid of his own?"

"I heard about your good fortune, your Majesty," Nina said to Artoria, unable to avoid using the utmost formality and etiquette with her fellow royal. "Father was very pleased; there was, ah, talk amongst some of our…peers before, fears for the Pendragon line. Some even thought you past child-bearing years…."

"Well, the Pendragon line is noted for its incredible longevity," Yue, encyclopedia extraordinary, noted automatically. "They often look youthful even into their sixties, and usually live over a hundred years if they aren't killed in battle…."

"Well, I am blessed now, for certain," Artoria said modestly. "Truthfully, Nina- _san_ , many of my advisors had the same fears that your 'peers' did, since I went so long without selecting a consort. But I never could…there was a rogue who had taken my heart, and until I knew he was totally gone, I could not move on. He finally returned." She smiled at the quiet Jynx, who seemed slightly bashful. "I actually wished for a child even sooner, but my chosen consort was, frankly, quite terrified of the idea, and it took some time to convince him…."

"I-I know I'm…not going to be much of a father," Jynx sighed. He wilted under the curious stares of the ladies around him, probing and, while (mostly) not malicious, quite intimidating all the same. "I guess that's one of the reasons I…stuck with Kalan for so long. I wanted to come back to my lady myself, but…I knew that, as Queen she'd need an heir, and…I didn't think I could possibly be the father of the heir of Avalon…."

"Well, all's well that ends well," Rakasu said cheerfully. "Ah, it's hard to imagine, but maybe in a few years, us, too, eh? We'll marry our own young men, and…." She trailed off, looking wistfully at the ceiling.

"Yes…marriage…." Kagome turned a critical eye back to Mai. "Speaking of which, you said something about that, Mai…marrying Kain…when did that happen, exactly? Why didn't we hear about it…?"

Mai shifted uncomfortably. "W-we just had a quiet civil ceremony the day after Kain turned eighteen. We just had Kalan and Aeli there, and we didn't want it to get out of hand, so that's all we did…."

"In other words, you eloped," Shiho translated.

Chisame chuckled somewhat evilly again. "What do you expect? The brat knew he'd probably end up getting stabbed if he had the class there for it, and there was no way he'd get away with inviting some of them but not all. In some ways, he never changes…."

"C'mon, now, Chisame- _chan_ ," Momo sighed. "To be fair, Kain has had enough of celebrity and crowds after all the work he's done the last few years. Can you blame him for wanting the most precious moment of his life to be quiet and intimate after all that? It's not that he rejected…ah, I-I mean, that is to say, it's not like he kept the rest of us out or excluded us out of spite or neglect. And Mai, too. If they really didn't want us to be a part of their lives, would they have come here to do this for us?"

"No," Kagome sighed. She smiled at her best friend again. "Yeah, I understand; I don't like it, but I do understand. I'll forgive you, under the circumstances…but…you better let us know when the baby is born! I want to be there for that!"

"R-right…."

"But speaking of Kain- _sensei_ …where is he?" Nodoka finally managed.

"That's right," Irina put in. "He's the all-important host, and newlywed husband…why's he left his wife here…?"

"He's up above, on the roof," Erika offered. "Take the stairs at the end of the hall if you want to go say 'hi' to him. But…you better be prepared…."

The newcomers observed her with curious expressions. "Prepared? For what?"

8-8-8

Kain had his hands on the concrete base of the railing and leaned his arms into it, staring out at the beautiful pseudo-world, quiet and contemplative. The brown-haired man next to him murmured, "You seem rather entranced with the artificial view, which is all the more surprising considering that you are one of its engineers. Is it really so fascinating?"

Lina, on Kain's other side with her back turned to the 'view' as she leaned against the railing, chuckled and replied for her friend. "C'mon, you should know him well enough by now. That's just how he is, right? If you give him a moment of peace, he'll start contemplating the wonder of the universe, no matter where he is."

"Yes, a complete contrast to your friend and bodyguard."

Lina stiffened slightly, unsure how to translate that comment, but Gourry, standing next to her, actually said, "Well, yeah, probably. But isn't that for the best?"

Lina glanced back to him. "I'm not sure if you understood the comment or not…."

Ellis and Luana, standing slightly off to the side, shared a look of bemusement and then sighed in concert. "It's always different with these ones around," Ellis said wearily.

Kain suddenly laughed. "Yeah…it's never dull, having any of you here." He turned around and stretched. "Sorry about getting pensive. I just haven't had much of a moment for this for a while. Life goes on…rushing forward with frightening speed. Soon the party will start…I just needed a bit of a breather."

"You just got back from your _honeymoon_ ," Lina said scathingly. "That wasn't a 'moment' enough for you?"

Kain waved the question away. Then all eyes turned to the stairwell as the troop came pouring onto the roof. They stared in surprise at the ensemble around Kain. There was Lina, and Gourry…oh, and Ellis and Luana, how unusual…and….

Yue's eyes opened wide, and she spoke and acted first. "E-Eminus!" She couldn't equip her Robe on such short notice, but she immediately had her card out and changed it into book, wand, and witch regalia as she assumed a ready stance, and several of the others followed suit, nervously preparing themselves to fight.

The watchers stared back, mostly flabbergasted at this reaction. Kain turned to 'Eminus', the only one who seemed, ironically, unmoved by the debacle, and he asked him, "Is…this really the first time they've seen you like this? None of them know?"

"Well, of course _I_ know," Momo sighed, pushing her way forward. "Calm down, all of you. This is no enemy, despite his appearance."

"Well, you know him, Momo- _san_?" Shiho asked. "Who is he exactly, then?"

"Allow me to present myself before this goes further," the man replied, and took a step forward. He crossed a single arm over his chest and gave a short, stiff bow. "I am called Nemo, and I am a _hinigami_ , a special member of the Gotei 13." He then rose and turned back to Kain. "And no, it seems you never did tell any of them about me. From what Mai- _san_ says, you usually leave most of the communication with your class to her, and she, never as verbose as you, has difficulty herself in trying to properly tell the tales you wish told. Besides, that conflict ended only shortly before your abrupt wedding, so there was no chance to make mention of it."

"Mmm. I guess so." Kain sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone; I really should apologize to the whole group at dinner; I really am bad at…keeping in touch." He chuckled. "I wasn't before, but I only had one or two important people in my life, so it was easy. With so many of you…and so much going on…it was just so much harder. It's a pathetic excuse, and I regret my actions. I will try to do better in the future." He bowed deeply.

"I hope so," Kagome sighed. "Really, you've dropped the ball, Kain- _sensei_. I guess most of us kind of brushed it off the last few years—we knew that you were really busy, throwing yourself into your big plan to help Earth become magical, and Mai sent us emails, so we let it slide, but now this…your wedding, this…Nemo- _san_ , and what seems like so much more going on. Even this party…most of us didn't know anything about it until we suddenly got rounded up to be brought here. Usually, invitations to things like this are sent out in advance, you know?" Kain blanched under the assault, and she continued, "Well, I guess in this case you wanted some sort of big surprise, right? Oh well. Can you at least explain…about Nemo- _san_? I'm interested in that story…."

Nemo actually chuckled, in a surprisingly human fashion. "Yes, I knew you would all act this way if you weren't properly informed. I am Nemo, the name I've chosen for myself, but it is no surprise that you recognize me, and you are actually quite correct; in life I was the Remnant of Pakrov Eminus. However, after my death, my soul, for some reason, was reborn in Soul Society. I trained and worked under the care of Shiba Kûkaku, until a sudden force threatened the Soul Society. The man who was, for lack of a better description, 'God' of the Quincies raised an army and attacked the Seireitei, even managing to kill several captains and lieutenants, and threatened to destroy the balance of the world by killing the Soul King who maintains the Soul Society. It is naturally quite an epic tale, but long story short, Kain- _kun_ and Kalan- _san_ went there and defeated him and once again saved the Soul Society. I played some part in the battle myself, and Kain- _kun_ and I were reunited. Although I was of Eminus, I chose a new name for myself because the Obsidian Star is dead, and I was reborn…I suppose to give me a rather undeserved chance at a free life. Since then, I have been allowed by the Gotei 13 to travel with Kain- _kun_ and assist him…when he isn't honeymooning."

"Ah…so that's a _gigai_ , then?" Kagome demanded.

As Nemo confirmed the fact, Nodoka suddenly approached him. Her soft face broke into a warm smile and she bowed to the man. "I'm pleased to meet you, Nemo- _san_." She rose and continued brightly. "I…knew that you and Kain- _sensei_ could be friends! I always knew…there was more to you than that…I'm glad…."

"But not so glad as we are," Ellis replied with a warm smile of her own as she stepped up next to Nemo. "Ah…it's the hardest thing not calling him 'Eminus- _sama_ '," she giggled, "but…we never expected to have our lord back…."

With the tension gone, the group began to move forward again for all their greetings, and Erstin actually broke from her own timid place in the ranks to rush to Luana. Once again the atmosphere became light as several different conversations and comments fountained out.

"But's what with you, anyway, Chi- _chi_?" demanded Kanade. "You've been following us around, smirking like you know everything!"

"Ah, I don't know what you're talking about," Chisame insisted. "Just because I've actually been working for Kain- _sensei_ this entire time, so I've been getting all the stories from the horse's mouth, is no reason to go accusing me of being a know-it-all…."

After several more minutes, Kain called for the attention of his friends. "Well, I think just about everyone's gathered now," he said. "So we should be making our way to dinner; I have a sumptuous feast being prepared, something appropriate for the immensity of today's gathering. Let's go round up all of our companions…."

8-8-8

Kagome had one more shock before she made it to dinner, however.

"Oi, Kagome."

Kagome started and turned to glance at Inuyasha, who had been skillfully hiding in plain sight as the rest of the procession went past, and they proceeded onward without apparently noticing the interruption. She stared at Inuyasha in surprise as the surly _hanyô_ looked away grumpily. "Inuyasha? What are you doing here?"

"Whadya mean? I got invited, same as everyone else. Not sure why I came, though; I'm not much for gatherings like this." He looked back at Kagome. "But, whatever, I'm here."

"Yes…so I see." She smiled brightly at him. "So, why don't you come along to dinner? You might as well at least enjoy the food."

"Hah? Look, with all those people…."

"I know, I know, there's a lot of them, but these aren't just any people…they're our friends. Even if it is hard to get along with some of them. It's better than going hungry." She smiled at him and turned back down the hallway. "C'mon, let's go."

"W-wait…I want…to talk about something first."

Kagome paused and glanced back at him. He turned his head away again and began, "Y'know, the real reason I came, I was just sorta wondering…you're all done with that 'school' stuff now finally, right? So…what are you planning to do now?" He kept looking away, perhaps trying to maintain an air that this was just a casual question of curiosity.

Kagome knew better, she knew quite well, and her mind considered multiple things as she stood there for a moment, silently watching the dog-demon without answering. She and Inuyasha had had a…tempestuous relationship over her high school career. As far as the truth was, she had pretty much brought Inuyasha home as a souvenir from the magical world, and had been stuck with him ever since. He was a lost puppy, with nothing in his life now except Kagome. The thought of it somewhat flattered her, even back then, she had to admit, although she found it quite troublesome to deal with the _hanyô_ , especially when she was trying to do her studies. Once the Magic Council started putting him to use on odd-jobs and errands—which, despite the complaining he did, he rather enjoyed, since it kept him occupied—he was out of her hair more, but he always kept coming back to her, and Kagome found…that she didn't mind. As time went on, she, a girl without any clubs, found time to expand her magical experience by cajoling magical side jobs out of her grandfather, and went on them with Inuyasha as her bodyguard. That's how she had spent her high school; studying, and, really, being a 'magical girl', learning healing magic from Ellis and having small adventures. The more time she spent with him, the more Kagome felt a real attachment to the _hanyô_ …something that started to move past mere friendship. It was not an easy journey, of course; Kagome was somewhat stubborn, and she was an emotional teenager, and had difficulty with her feelings, and Inuyasha's nature, sometimes clueless, insensitive and out of touch and the rest of the time surly and prickly, didn't help matters. Any relationship with two strong personalities like these was bound to have its problems, but Kagome had learned some maturity and wisdom from her adventures with Kain even prior to meeting Inuyasha, and she really felt, more and more as time went on, that it was worth it to her to put effort into it.

And now here she was, graduating. Despite her growing feelings…despite, really, when she admitted it, falling in love with Inuyasha…she had taken the route of her teacher Kain- _sensei_ , and put off frightening thoughts of the future. She tried to feel like their small adventures together and the distractions of school would never end…but here they were. Inuyasha, too, was cognizant of that…and his feelings were….

"Well…I'm not really sure," Kagome said. "I mean, I've got general plans, but…nothing concrete. First of all, I need to go to America and restore Kain- _sensei_ 's village. After that, I'm planning to become an Archmage. But, you know…as an Archmage, I'm going to need some strong companions, like Kalan- _san_ had. I could probably…use your help with that, Inuyasha….

"But, even if it's a near future, it's not quite yet!" she insisted suddenly, and reached out and took his hand. He stared at her in surprise, and was powerless to resist her pull as she began to lead him to the dining hall after her friends. "Tomorrow will be a great time…to finally talk about that. But right now, we need to eat…all of us together, celebrating everything we've done. Even if you're uncomfortable, Inuyasha, you won't have to be afraid, because I'm here with you; right?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. Then, assuming his own usual _tsundere_ attitude, he scowled and looked away again, although he still didn't try to resist Kagome's pull at all. "I guess, since you're insisting…and it's not like I can get food anywhere else…."

"Sure," Kagome giggled. "It's always best…to be with friends, after all."

8-8-8

They were all gathered. Class 3-A, minus only the mysterious Sakura and the departed Miyu and Alyssa (although, interestingly, a letter had somehow at some point arrived from the child demon, excusing herself from the invitation but wishing them all the best, particularly Kain and Mai Lockeheart). In addition, they had Kalan, Aeli, Rose, Jynx, and Artoria. Aiden and Iria were also there—Iria now looking noticeably younger—and Kurt was in attendance, oddly seated next to Caria, and Takamichi was with them as well. Lina and Gourry, and someone no one recognized until he grudgingly introduced himself as (a fully cured) Zelgadis. Delryn, Kajirô, Kenjirô, and Hikaru, here to join their friends. Kaya Sendô, with her daughter and Servant. Tear and Luke, Rin and Shirô, not-so-little Mei, and even Iori, Seiichirô, and Shiro Tôgi. Haruna Yûki, Isumi Saginomiya, Inuyasha, Shippô, and the HiME. And Nemo and most of those who had followed him in life. Indeed, most of their friends who had endured some or all of their adventures together, minus only those with the most responsibility who couldn't get away, although all those missing had sent notes, from Overcast and Jade to Minsc and Aerie.

Kain stood up before the meal officially commenced and addressed the whole room. "My precious friends…and more, all of you here are pretty much my family. We've gone through so much recently…and some of you have pointed out to me that I haven't really kept in touch as much as I should have. But I hope that this proves that however far apart we've seemed, we're still connected. All of you have done so much for me, and I'm very grateful. Where we are right now…I never could have imagined it, even in my wildest dreams. We've endured some hard times, but I think we've been fully recompensed for them. And now, I wanted to celebrate my closest friends, my family of Class 3-A, as they officially make their way out into the world. It means more for some of you than for others, but if ever there was a time for us to get together again to celebrate, it is now.

"As we part ways again after this, we should hold one another in our hearts. Though we walk separate paths, our hearts will be together as one. We have seen great and terrible sights, and experienced highs and lows most can't know. But we made it through, because we were together. And even separate, we still will be. All of you…I am so happy that you were my friends, and I am here only because of your help. Thanks to all of you…I love you all…and I always will. Now, let's celebrate, for one day…the Red Wings, the White Wings, Class 3-A, and the incredible legacy we've built."

Kain bowed, signaling the end of his speech, and after a few cat calls, shouts and teasings, and similar things, they threw themselves into their meal, and into their party. Kain had summed it up quite well; they would go forward into the future and become different people, but for one last moment, they would be that which brought out all of them the most, if not the best—they were Mahora Girls' Middle School Class 3-A, the class of Mahô Sensei Kain.

F I N

 _Author's Note: The End_

 _Well, after a long, crazy haul…it's finally over. Oh, an epilogue moment, and a Final Word, but they are lead-ins to other projects more than anything. At long, long last, this tale, the tale of Mahô Sensei Kain, is in the bag. There were a few things I ended up not doing…things I missed, that I might go back and add more of…but in the end, I think I'm rather satisfied with what I've got._

 _What? What can I really do more? I actually wanted to slip in the scenario where Erika explains her past with Haruna, from Fortune Arterial (I believe she actually did explain the past once to Kain, actually) and more specifically the part where Erika decides to restore the memory she took from Haruna, but I just never got around to it. I wanted to have a bit of Shirô/Kain interaction, but didn't get that really. And while a few more similar meet-ups and such things could happen here in this last chapter, I think it was long enough already._

 _I actually pondered how I wanted to end it for a long time. MSN has one last crazy scenario before its epilogue wrap-up (said epilogue being what I'm going to hit in a unique fashion immediately following, a kind of 'what happened to them' brief description of the class' girls), set seven years in the future—about the time Negi would have finally been an adult. It began with a traditionally MSN (mindless fan service) scenario involving Yue; Makie's little brother is at Mahora now, and when a panty thief is raiding the girls' dorms, he decides to hire the 'reliable person' his sister told him about to help his would-be girlfriend, and said person is of course Yue. Yue had graduated from Ariadne with honors, but with magic not yet transitioned to full knowledge on Earth, she's finding it difficult to find a steady job. She's therefore working as a kind of Harry Dresden-esque private investigator/solver of magic troubles to anyone who is willing to hire her, and so she goes down to the school to track down this mysterious lowlife. It turns out to be the crazy perverted bounty hunter demon girl who attacked Nodoka in the magic world, and after a brief battle that shows off Yue's increased magical power the demon manages to strip her and then begins to sexually assault her in the usual_ ecchi _MSN fashion…until Negi shows up to one-shot the beast and tell Yue she's late for the gathering. The big thing with this party Negi arranges seven long years after the story is the big reveal: that Negi has finally recovered his dad from the Mage of the Beginning._

 _At this point much of what I've done has veered from this, for several reasons, and as I said I pondered my own path, picking up and discarding ideas regularly before deciding to end with this type of setup only just before starting the chapter. At first I was all-in on a seven-year time jump as well, because, among other things, other things were going to happen in seven years, such as Fairy Tail returning (more on that in the Epilogue). I considered doing something similar with Yue…most of my characters don't have much in the way of family (that is to say, siblings here), and those that do (like Mai and Kagome) kind of lost theirs because of how they inherited the backgrounds of the characters they replaced. But Kazumi Yoshida did have a younger brother she talked about, although he never appeared, and he could have been the replacement for Makie's brother. Because I threw out the bounty hunter group, I didn't have that crazy demon to assault Yue, but I considered some other kind of scenario, a demonic invader, perhaps even Kamo or Alvaris showing up and being a panty thief as a bizarre, brief homage to all that. In the end, however, I felt that just jumping three years, to celebrate everyone's graduation from high school (those that stayed in, at least) was enough, especially since, with my myriad plans and lore stories prepped in my mind, even seven years left too many tales and possible characters to introduce into a minor finishing chapter. No, three is fine, and gives set up for what comes after. And there was no need to have a Kalan reveal, because my whole set-up there brought Kalan back at the end of last Act. No, instead the big reveal is Kain's growing family. Maybe that's what I wanted to be the most significant message here—Kain starts pretty much alone, with one crazy friend (Lina) and some older acquaintances who trace their attentions to him to his father, but now, even apart from the class in general, he's wed the love of his life, has his own child on the way, has his parents back, and even has some siblings coming._

 _On that note, it was an impulse I had to follow, because of Kain's original character and how his original story pre-MSK was built around my life and acquaintances and such; Kain had three sisters REMARKABLY LIKE MY OWN (how extraordinary) but this one, inheriting the Negi backstory, loses them. However, since both his parents are recovered and, by the logic of the rules I created, his mother, in particular, is still youthful and healthy enough to have more children, I just can't resist bringing in the potential of Kain's sisters, even if all three (instead of just two) in this case are younger. As a side note, somewhat necessary—Aeli is currently carrying twins, a joke my family will certainly appreciate._

 _And so, Epilogue time…I'll talk more about it in ITS Author's Notes (the Author's Notes are neverending….)_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Epilogue

'Asakaze Riza took over the Asakaze Shrine, and transformed it into a demon- and ghost-hunting service that became extremely popular in the region around Mahora, so much so that she couldn't keep up with the demand, even with her family's resources. Eventually she hired an adventurer from Arcanus Myrror with administration experience to oversee the business side, and eventually the two married and guaranteed the prosperity of the endeavor for a few generations.'

'Segawa Izumi seemed to undergo a magical transformation after graduating college, as the world of Earth itself began to transition to a magical world. She took over her father's company, the premier electronics company of Japan, and the prosperous organization grew even more magnificent in the world of magic that came after. It was said she had many lovers, although the rumors were never confirmed.'

'Hanabishi Miki became one of the prominent politicians and ambassadors of Japan to Arcanus Myrror, due to her family's influence and her own experience with it. She continued being a fashionable high-class diva with Izumi for many years, before both of them married, largely for political reasons, to prominent royals from Luirn in their early thirties.'

The reader, a young woman with carefully-groomed, light red hair (not quite pink) running to the back of her neck, sat in her chair, pondering the words on the page. She was beautiful for a girl in her mid-teens, already looking like a nearly-ripe flower, even with the black tail that adorned her, a sinewy whip topped by a somewhat heart-shaped barb. "The so-called 'Baka Trio'," the girl murmured. "I haven't heard much of this shrine; I guess it really is something only local to Mahora. But the legacy of the Segawa and Hanabishi families is marked, even now." She continued reading.

'Ayanami Rei continued in the service—and friendship—of Sendô Kaya. She was always with Kaya whenever she left her estate, and later on was assigned the personal attendant to Erika's children, and further descendants. Even now, one cannot deal with the Sendô family without Sendô Kaya's personal Servant watching you.'

'Sendô Erika, freed from the vampire's curse, continued as daughter to Sendô Kaya all the same and embraced her new mortality. With that curse also taking much of her magical power, she largely retired from an active role in the handling of magical emergencies, and instead worked as an ambassador for the Sendô family, its mouthpiece. She met a fine young man at the university and eventually married, giving Sendô Kaya a larger and more dynamic family to watch over.'

Again the reader paused to consider the stories. "We never did get an answer out of either of them," she murmured. "Both of them rather seemed to be in love with Kain Lockeheart, but…well, I suppose it doesn't matter. The Sendô family…they don't travel outside Mahora much, so I doubt I'll ever have to deal with them."

'Ogata Matake, the most blissfully normal girl in the entire class in the end, did the blissfully normal thing of marrying her childhood friend, Tanaka Eita, and eventually she became a P.E. teacher for Mahora. Her life, as a whole, was peaceful and happy.'

'Hirai Yukari became the stalwart companion of Hanatabi Kenjirô, and the two were eventually married. Although she was never greatly blessed with magical talents, she never let her lack disrupt her spirits or hold her back, even as she followed Kenjirô into the throes of the magical conflicts. She served as his faithful comrade, confident, lover and friend until the day of her death.'

'Yoshida Kazumi recovered from her broken heart after being rejected by Kain Lockeheart, and happily lived her own life. She did not retreat from the magical side of things, but she held a great love for the community of Mahora that had always been her home, and as the magical conflicts began to mount, she ended up organizing a militia of volunteer citizens to protect the community in emergencies and headed that militia with the young man who eventually became her husband. The pair of them experienced their own adventures worthy of tales, all without leaving their home."

The girl thought upon these three. "Hanatabi…that name sounds familiar. But still, more of these girls who never really left Mahora, eh? That land was quite amazing…perhaps as much as Toriel…."

'In time Katsura Hinagiku, having never had the courage to confess to Kain Lockeheart, especially in light of his own obvious sentiments, eventually allowed her heart to fall to Tsukai Kajirô. The two complemented each other perfectly, their strengths and weakness overlapping, and they both became members of the Trans-World Blades, the interplanetary police force that hunted magical criminals and opposed magical crises. With Hinagiku's talents added to the Tsukai household, the Tsukai family became the most prominent of the twelve families of Mahora in the Magic Integration Project.'

Only one name brought the young woman to pause and consider this time. "So…that means Tsukai - _san_ is part of this family, then? Most likely…she seems the type. It explains a great deal about her." After briefly considering her classmate, she continued on.

'Rakasu Klein and her artifact were of great import to Kain Lockeheart's Magic Integration Project, allowing him to meet and recruit the leaders of all the major nations of Earth in the late 2000s and early 2010s. She continued her own career as an idol singer, and transitioned that into being an ambassador of peaceful relations as the countries of multiple worlds came into contact. She married a young genius who caught her fancy, a renaissance man at Mahora who was expert of both science and art, a young man who was short on social status but long on talent and ability.'

'Konoe Kaoru did win an Olympic Gold in 2016, the last Olympics held before the revelation of magic put the competitions on hold for twelve years. After this, she, along with her husband, led the committee to re-organize the Olympic Games for Earth and Arcanus Myrror with magic—making competitions with magic additions to the usual events and not in place of them, and putting all the safeguards in place to maintain this tradition.'

'Caria Spetzer, a student in her teens merely because she spent too much time tinkering with her machines to demonstrate her beyond college education properly, put her MagiTech skills to work for the Halteese Republic and eventually married Kurt Gödel. The work she did with MagiTech set the stage for the conditions that would give Earth and Arcanus Myrror favorable advantages in the conflicts that emerged from meeting worlds over the next half-century.'

The reader giggled. "Gödel…that's another familiar name…."

'Alyssa Searrs remains the secret head of the Searrs Foundation, and while the Foundation has not been prominently involved in the publicized meetings between the worlds' leaders, it has continued to make its mark behind the scene. Alyssa herself, the demon Alysaser, has shown no particular inclinations after all this either for or against mankind. She remains unknown and enigmatic, and if any of her former acquaintances still meet her, they remain silent on the subject.'

'Miyu Greer, likewise, continues on as the bodyguard and companion of the 'Golden Angel'. What few times Alyssa shows herself, whatever the guise, she is never without Miyu by her side.'

A sigh came. "If there was anyone from this class I'd like to meet in person, it's her. I'm sure she'd have all sorts of interesting things she could tell me…."

'Tsukimori Kiami continued her training as a _ninja_ and disciple of Akasôryû. Never one to take the lead or take up more than she asked for, she lived her life as a mercenary vagabond. She was a stark contrast to her eventual husband, Tsukino Hikaru, who elected to be a traveling 'champion of justice', and their work together was shared parts volunteer and mercenary, although more the former than the latter, for Kiami could never take the hardline cold-blooded mercenary stance in the face of Hikaru's righteous ideals. Because of this, her name is also known, perhaps somewhat incorrectly, as a vigilante hero of the Magical Transition period of history.'

'Heiro Akari, like her fellow disciple friends, found their assumed destinies of inheriting their _dôjôs_ shattered by the introduction of magic. As Kiami and Hikaru forsook their schools to follow their individual paths, so Akari left for the life of adventure alongside Delryn Rylack, who, determined as always to outdo his father in some way, became one of the foremost explorers of the new worlds as contact was made with them. Nevertheless, as the three _dôjôs_ of Yokohama became more famous and prominent, they brought in more and more local youths to train instead, and Akari, as one of her school's honorary masters, often returned there with her children to provide additional training. In the end, it was probably best for the schools as well, as they continued thereafter to host multiple masters, each head over a different martial art. Even now, inquisitive warriors seeking higher education may travel to Yokohama, Japan, for instruction in some of the most glorious martial arts.'

Again the pause for consideration. "Rylack…once again, an obvious connection to my class. It makes me wonder why so many of them are so close to me; and what I'm afraid of is that it might be because of me." She shook her head and continued reading.

'Nagato Yuki continued with the class all through high school, but following her graduation she vanished, likely to return to the magical entity that gave her existence. It was said that she watched over her former classmates like an angel, occasionally appearing in time to save one of them from a crisis or disaster….'

'Hasegawa Chisame never married, but continued working as Kain Lockeheart's assistant, publicity manager, intelligence expert, and propaganda director for decades until she finally decided to retire. At that point, she disappeared from the public eye, becoming only a legend, whispered about wherever mages and computers met.

'Harada Riku and Harada Risa became involved with a mysterious Phantom Thief while in high school, during an incident that followed them into the university as well. They helped to solve the mystery and destroy a dark magical legacy that had been kept hidden even from the Magic Council of Mahora for generations, and married the two young men involved to boot. Both of them—Riku reluctantly, and Risa enthusiastically—were prominent parts of the Magical Integration period.

'Yûki Kanade continued working with Mahora Academy, eventually becoming principal. Despite her eccentricities, her dedication to the well-being and happiness of those around her was real, and that innate concern was put to use as the leader of the world's foremost magical school, particularly as it became a bastion of magic and the symbol of the new, magical Earth.'

'Jinnai Nanami's talent and determination paid off, and she was able to build a business that spanned the two worlds and eventually all the worlds as they were encountered. While ruthless at business with her connections and contacts, she nonetheless took her own time to romance and marry the man she had long admired. She was also instrumental in stopping her megalomaniac older brother from causing an interplanetary war in his own lust for power.'

This description seemed to nonplus the young woman. "Interesting…I don't think I've ever heard of such a coup as that. Was it simply too minor, hushed up, or something else…? I thought this book would tell me all the secrets, but now it just seems to be intentionally disrespecting me."

'Mizuno Ami became a pioneer in the science of magical medicine, establishing an entire profession of magical doctors who used technology, magic and alchemy together in concert to maximize health care for all people. Her work earned her a Nobel Prize. She married Damian Overcast of Grandall.'

'Ayase Yue, philosophically separated from the politics of Arcanus Myrror and sharing with her friend Nodoka the pain of having failed at their first love, was unable and unwilling to become a Crown HiME and instead became a rather freelance adventurer, assisting her friend in locating Fairy Tail. However, in time she was wooed by an enterprising young nobleman who recklessly involved himself in the conflicts of the meeting worlds and eventually convinced her to become his HiME and later on his wife. In her old age, Yue wrote a book of poetry as a memoir that magnificently described her life's journey, how it followed a path no one would ever have expected or chosen on their own, but which eventually led to a fully fulfilling happiness.'

'Miyazaki Nodoka dedicated herself to finding Fairy Tail, although their eventual return with Tenrô Island seemed to happen without her involvement. Nevertheless, she and her husband dedicated themselves to the guild, fighting in all its great battles alongside their comrades and never letting go, even after it was disbanded and then re-formed. A noble and valiant mage, Nodoka became one of the greatest symbols of the change for the better that the influence of magic had.'

"Hmmmph. It was great, but why is this last part so hit-or-miss? It mentions some of their husbands in detail but others it only barely hints at. It's so infuriating." The girl sighed, then muttered, "But Overcast…that's another one…."

'Higurashi Kagome became one of the youngest Archmages in Earth's history, as she used her advanced healing powers to save the town of Halie. She married the _hanyô_ Inuyasha and reared her own family despite all the effort she put into the work for the Trans-World Relations unit.'

'Hinamori Momo remained a dedicated officer of the Gotei 13, becoming a captain sometime after the Quincy War, and even now is one of the thirteen captains that leads that unit.'

'Tokiha Mai, the Crystal Princess, dedicated her life to her teacher, her love and her husband, Kain Lockeheart. Although she deferred all the fame and renown their labors generated to Kain, those of their circle knew that she played as much a part in all their work as he did. She worked twice as hard, the secret lurking in her heart of the world she had seen, the world where Kain perished in despair, and she was determined to see to it that that world never appeared. Although they are now largely retired, leaving most of the work to their legacy, they remain the eternal guardians of Earth and Arcanus Myrror, maintaining their silent vigil, ever ready to do their part to protect it from evil and darkness.'

That was the end, and the girl closed the book. "That was very nice…but still somewhat frustrating," she muttered. "I hoped to learn more about Rin and Shirô, and if he ended up becoming his Archer counterpart after all. Some of the others who were important to them." She laughed. "Ah, but what a little girl I am. I was hoping to learn some secrets I could use in this book, and I ended up getting caught up in the romance of it all. Well…."

"I hope it was satisfactory, my lady Meydia. It was very difficult to acquire, you know; the secrets in that book are unknown even to some of the most prominent mages of the Three Worlds Federation."

Meydia sighed, managing not to jump at the sudden appearance of the speaker. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the rather effeminate figure in the suit with dark hair longer than her own. "I'm grateful, Toru, don't worry; I did learn quite a bit from that. But, alas, nothing to help me find the answers I really wanted."

"Perhaps it is for the best," Toru replied. "For the sake of our kingdom and world, we have obligations at this school, and we can't afford the kinds of…distractions that might arise from your obsession."

"If you're against my 'obsession', why did you threaten to feed it by finding that book for me?" Meydia demanded, cocking her head at the young man.

"It is my duty to serve you in all things, as a member of the Somardi family, and most of all as the champion assigned to your service. I am Toru Somardi, and you are Meydia Callistia Hallan, Princess and heir of the Hallanae Kingdom. No matter my own opinions, I will follow you to the death, and accept any order from you." He kneeled pointedly before her, head bowed. "My life is yours, and if revenge is your goal, then that, too, will be my dedication, whether I deem it prudent or not."

Meydia sighed, then laughed. "No, no…that's quite enough," she murmured. "You may be right; I should be grateful to be in the position I'm in, after all that's happened. I can't dwell on that. I should be happy just attending this school." She laughed. "And you know…I have a feeling…this new year is going to be very interesting…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Transition_

 _Rather than just have a big 'here's what happened' description—and Negima did just that—I decided to have a little fun and put a bit more story into my Epilogue wrap-up. So I pulled a couple characters from my 'sequel' I've been plotting out and presented them (well, mostly Meydia) as reading the story of MSK and reacting to the final 'destination' remarks about the girls of Class 3-A. Largely happy stories, and happy, I think, from their point of view, for all of them. I think one of the big things Akamatsu-_ sensei _enjoyed with writing his epilogue was drawing the future versions of all his characters, adult and matured, but since I'm not illustrating anything, I don't have that same cathartic reasoning, so mixing in a mini-story, one that serves as a transition between MSK and its 'sequel', is where I get my fun._

 _Some of the points and final destination-type stories were somewhat kept from the same or similar characters in MSN, and some were tied either directly or by suggestion with their original storyline—the Haradas and the Phantom Thief and Nanami's heretofore-unmentioned brother, for instance. Otherwise, I just kind of wrote what came to mind. I still have a lot more 'lore' about these characters in my mind, much more than I can ever write._

 _As for Meydia? No intro or anything for her…she'll be making her mark quite enough in the story to come, and just her name should have been enough teaser to present her properly. After so many chapters, perhaps it doesn't register, so do a quick re-read for some hints if you're stumped…._

 _Anyway, that's pretty much it. I have one more tease, a Final Word to transition elsewhere. There will be no Author's Note for the Final Word…it's going to say all I need it to, all on its own…._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Final Word

It had not been as painful as she was afraid it would be, seeing Kain and Mai again…seeing them together, and seeing Mai with Kain's child. Nodoka had thought she'd feel all the old pain again, but she felt remarkably happy for them, and she felt utterly satisfied…more than satisfied, completely satiated…with the whole party. Perhaps it was seeing Yue again after so long. Maybe it was the fact that they were expecting, that the joy of that blessing was too all-encompassing. Maybe it was even meeting Nemo, and seeing him redeemed…Nodoka had been rather devastated when Eminus died, although she had never told anyone, could never imagine sympathy for her feelings towards their archenemy.

Regardless, now that it was over, Nodoka's thoughts had turned serious again. Her attention was on the letter she had received that morning…so obviously for her, so obviously left by someone who knew her, and so frustratingly without identification, saying only those few words:

'Seeker of Fairy Tail, find your path at the Mahora Roof Café at 6 PM'.

Nodoka made her way to the place, the most popular coffee shop in Mahora. She arrived at the outdoor café overlooking the busiest part of Mahora, and identified the sender immediately.

It could be no one other than the beautiful blond woman dressed in vivificating white clothing sitting at a table in the middle of the court. In her appearance, in her manner, and most especially in the magic Nodoka could palpably feel from her, she was by far the most prominent person in attendance. Even more, Nodoka realized that she was the only person who noticed this strange woman; she wasn't invisible, as no one tried to sit at her table and the servers were bringing her drinks even as Nodoka arrived and warily watched her, but somehow she was preventing herself from _registering_ to them. It was like an enhanced version of the enchantment the glasses she and her friends had used in Arcanus Myrror exhibited; she was there, but everyone was being compelled _not_ to notice or pay attention to her unless she wanted something from them. Nodoka, alone, was excluded from that enchantment; and that, on its own, was an obvious invitation.

Nervously, but trying not to show it, Nodoka made her way to the table. The woman smiled up at her immediately. "Ah…Miyazaki Nodoka- _chan_ , yes? I believe this is the first time we've met in person. I'm pleased you accepted my invitation."

"You…have the advantage of me," Nodoka murmured. "You seem to know me…but I know nothing about you."

"Ah, on the contrary," the woman corrected her. "You know much about me, too, but you don't know that the name belongs to me: I am the person you would know as Dolnegus."

Nodoka's eyes widened in recognition. "You…are the one who…?"

"That's right; slave lord and whatever else you wish to call me." The woman chuckled. She motioned, and a cup of Nodoka's favorite coffee was set down in front of her by a server who promptly wandered away. "Well, if we take the time for small talk you'll probably ask me a lot of questions that will make me rather uncomfortable, so I'll get right to the point…."

"Y-yes," Nodoka interrupted bravely, her eyes burning with determination. "You said…something about Fairy Tail…? Can you tell me how to find them…?"

"No, not that," 'Dolnegus' denied, shaking her head. She held up a finger and waved it at Nodoka admonishingly. "I never promised to tell you about them, or even to help you find answers. I can't do anything more than help you find your path. After that, it's up to you, to take the path I show you or not; but if you follow that path, from what I understand, you should be able to find Fairy Tail…or at least learn what happened to them."

Nodoka stared at her carefully. "…That's all you can tell me? This sounds…."

"Fishy?" 'Dolnegus' put in when Nodoka didn't finish immediately. "I apologize for seeming evasive, but I really don't know much else. This may seem strange or unreliable, but I am not prone to falsehoods, especially foolish ones, and I have nothing to gain by tricking you. So, before I continue, I will ask: will you trust me?"

Nodoka considered. "What do you have to gain…by helping me?"

"Nothing concrete," 'Dolnegus' chuckled. "What did I have to gain by being so accommodating to Kain when I allowed him to win back his students' freedom? I have ulterior motives, and selfish ones…but they're hardly vulgar. I am a great fan of Kain Lockeheart, and a fan of his companions, too. I am a fan of you, Miyazaki Nodoka- _chan_ , and I'd like to help you. That's why I'm doing this."

Nodoka considered again for a long moment, then nodded. "I know…you treated Izumi- _san_ and the rest very well…and that you accorded Kain- _sensei_ every respect and aid you could. I don't really understand you, or why you did what you did, but…I do trust you."

The woman nodded casually. "Excellent. I'm grateful for your trust; you are just the person I expected you to be, and I think that will be a great help to you. As I said, you should not expect miracles; this will only set you on the path. What happens after is mostly up to you. But if you wish to learn about Fairy Tail's fate…then use this." She suddenly set a thin, long box on the table and pushed it towards Nodoka.

Nodoka stared at it, then picked it up, then stared at it some more. "This is…a video game…?"

"Do you play many video games, Nodoka- _chan_?"

"No…not very much…I've never been as good as Ami or Yue, so when they play I usually just like to watch them…."

"Well, from what I understand, this one's a little different. Take it home, play it, enjoy it. Sometimes people hide Easter Eggs inside the games they make, little secrets that can be harmless fun…or amazing secrets. From what my source tells me, there's an amazing Easter Egg inside of this game. If you can find it, then you'll know you're on the path."

"I see." Nodoka held the game to her chest as she rose. "I…don't understand how this can help me…but it's true that I have nothing to lose. So, I'll at least try it out…and see what happens. Thank you, Dolnegus- _san_." She bowed and then hurried away, with almost eager quickness.

Dolnegus—Vayna—watched her go, a wide, expectant smile on her face. "And now, the new game begins," she murmured. "Let's see who the winners will be…."


End file.
